N3 Appearance, Tendencies, and Hearsay

~ということだ② (Hearsay): meaning, usage and examples

~ということだ② (Hearsay) means: I heard... / it is said...

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

Examples

1. 鈴木すずきさんからメールで、少すこし遅おくれるということです。

   Mr. Suzuki messaged and he said he would be a little late.

2. ニュースによると、犯人はんにんはまだ捕つかまっていないということです。

   According to the news, (it is said that) the criminal has not been caught yet.

3. 部長ぶちょうは今日きょう、会議かいぎに出でられないということです。

   I was told the manager can't attend the meeting today.

4. 天気てんき予報よほうでは、週末しゅうまつは雪ゆきが降ふるということです。

   The weather forecast says it will snow on the weekend.

When to use it

ということだ reports what someone said or what you read, usually exactly and clearly: "I was told that" or "they say". It is common when passing on a message at work (田中たなかさんから電話でんわで、少すこし遅おくれるということです), and in news reports. The information comes from a specific source, often named with によると or から.

Nuance

Formal and neutral; suits work, announcements and the news. It sounds objective, like a message being relayed without the speaker's opinion. とのことです is even more formal and is common in business emails and phone messages.

Compare

んだって is the casual version for friends: 遅おくれるんだって. そうだ (hearsay) is common in polite conversation and less tied to passing on a message. らしい mixes hearsay with the speaker's own guess, so it sounds less certain. Do not confuse this with ということだ "that means": 3時じに終おわる。つまり、あと1時間じかんということだ.

Tip: Taking a phone message for your boss? Use ということです or とのことです, not the casual んだって.