N1 Emotion and Feeling

~とは: meaning, usage and examples

~とは means: to think that... / I didn't know that...

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. あの二人ふたりが兄弟きょうだいだったとは、驚おどろきだ。

   To think that those two were brothers... I'm surprised.

2. こんなに美うつくしい場所ばしょがあるとは、知しらなかった。

   I had no idea such a beautiful place existed.

3. まさか自分じぶんが宝たからくじに当あたるとは、夢ゆめにも思おもわなかった。

   I never dreamed that I would win the lottery.

4. 一年いちねんで日本語にほんごがここまで上達じょうたつするとは、大たいしたものだ。

   To think your Japanese improved this much in a year. That's impressive.

When to use it

Expresses surprise or strong feeling at a fact: "to think that ...". The second half (驚おどろいた, 思おもわなかった) is often dropped, leaving the feeling to the reader. Example: あの二人ふたりが兄弟きょうだいだったとは, to think those two were brothers! It also defines a word: 「侘わび寂さび」とは, "wabi-sabi" means....

Nuance

Surprise, shock, admiration or disbelief, good or bad. Written and formal speech; in conversation なんて is more common. Often paired with まさか or 夢ゆめにも思おもわなかった, and the surprise is the speaker's own.

Compare

なんて is the casual, spoken equivalent: 兄弟きょうだいだったなんて. とは is the written form: 兄弟きょうだいだったとは. Do not confuse it with ということは, "which means": 休やすみということは.... The definition use とは matches という意味いみだ: 「積読つんどく」とは買かった本ほんを読よまずに積つむことだ.

Tip: Read とは at the end of a sentence as "!": 合格ごうかくしたとは = I can hardly believe you passed!