No way!: 〜ものか
plain form (な-adj + な / Noun + な) + ものか・もんか・ものですか
plain form (な) + ものか / もんか / ものですか: “no way”, a flat refusal in the form of a rhetorical question.
In short
〜ものか looks like a question, but it's a flat refusal: “me, go back to that restaurant? No way!”. The speaker rejects an action or an idea forcefully and emotionally. The intonation falls. In casual speech, people say もんか; ものですか is a slightly more polite version, often feminine.
- あんな店、二度と行くものか。あんなみせ、にどといくものか。That restaurant? I'll never set foot in it again!
- 負けるもんか！まけるもんか！No way am I going to lose!
- こんなまずい料理、だれが食べるものか。こんなまずいりょうり、だれがたべるものか。Food this bad — who'd want to eat it?
The basics
〜ものか is a rhetorical question: “is that something one does?” implies “of course not!”. English says “no way”, “not on your life”, “as if!”. You reject something with anger, pride or determination.
That restaurant? I'll never set foot in it again!
- noun
- other
- verb
- grammatical form
- あんな人の言うことなんか、信じるものか。あんなひとのいうことなんか、しんじるものか。Believe what someone like that says? Never!
How to form it
As with the other もの expressions: plain form for verbs and い-adjectives, な for な-adjectives and nouns. Three possible registers.
| Word | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | plain form + ものか | 行くものか |
| い-adjective | plain form + ものか | おいしいものか |
| な-adjective | な + ものか | 簡単なものか |
| Noun | な + ものか | 天才なものか |
| Casual speech | 〜もんか | 負けるもんか |
| More polite | 〜ものですか | 行くものですか |
- こんな問題、簡単なものか。こんなもんだい、かんたんなものか。A problem like this, easy? Yeah, right!
- あんな店、二度と行くものですか。あんなみせ、にどといくものですか。That restaurant? I shall never go back there.
A question that isn't one
The sentence often contains a question word (だれが, どこが, 何が) to heighten the effect: だれが食べるものか, “who'd want to eat that?” = nobody. The intonation falls at the end: if it rises, it'll sound like a real question.
- こんなまずい料理、だれが食べるものか。こんなまずいりょうり、だれがたべるものか。Food this bad — who'd want to eat it?
ものか or わけがない?
わけがない judges a possibility (“it's impossible”). ものか mainly expresses will or emotion: “I refuse”, “no way”. With a verb you're the subject of (行く, 負ける, 信じる), ものか says “I'll never do it”.
| Form | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜わけがない | judgement: impossible | あの人が来るわけがない |
| 〜ものか | refusal, determination | あんな所、二度と行くものか |
- あの人が約束を守るわけがない。あのひとがやくそくをまもるわけがない。There's no way he'll keep his promise.
Common mistakes
- Taking it for a real question: 行くものか isn't asking anything; it's refusing.
- Mixing it up with もの / もん without か (“because…”): 行きたくないもん and 行くもんか don't mean the same thing.
- Using it in formal situations: it's a heartfelt outburst, for speech and emotion only.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N3 point is on the Uji Line (Feelings) of the Kyoto lines.