〜ものか: 'No Way!' — A Strong Denial (Meaning + Examples)
"As if!" — a defiant rhetorical question
〜ものか takes a plain-form verb or adjective and flips it into an emphatic refusal. English equivalents are things like "no way," "as if I would," or "I'll never." It's almost always about the speaker's own will or judgment, said with visible emotion — anger, pride, or stubbornness.
あんな相手にやったんが負けるものか。
あんな あいてに やったんが まけるものか。
As if Yattan would lose to an opponent like that!
Rhetorical question = strong denial, not a real question.
彼を許すものか。
かれを ゆるすものか。
No way am I forgiving him.
こんな仕事、二度とやるものか。
こんな しごと、にどと やるものか。
I'll never do this kind of work again.
Form: plain form + ものか
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain, present) | Verb + ものか | 負けるものか |
| い-adjective | い-adj + ものか | おいしいものか (as if it's tasty!) |
| な-adjective | な-adj + な + ものか | 簡単なものか (as if it's easy!) |
こんな量、もちが一人で食べきれるものか。
こんな りょう、もちが ひとりで たべきれるものか。
As if Mochi could finish eating this much all by herself!
Casual speech often shortens this to もんか.
Not a real question — don't confuse it with 〜だろうか
Because ものか keeps the shape of a question, learners sometimes mistake it for genuine doubt like 〜だろうか ("I wonder if…"). But 〜だろうか is neutral curiosity, while ものか is loaded — the speaker has already made up their mind and is refusing loudly.
- 負けるだろうか — "I wonder if [someone] will lose" (neutral question).
- 負けるものか — "As if I'd lose!" (defiant refusal).
The short version
- 〜ものか = "as if I would!" / "no way!" — a strong, emotional denial.
- Attaches to: the plain form of a verb, い-adjective, or な-adjective (+な).
- Nuance/register: it looks like a question but carries the speaker's firm refusal; casual speech shortens it to もんか.
- Don't confuse with: 〜だろうか, which is a genuinely neutral, curious question.
Practice it
Pick the phrase that reads as a defiant 'as if!' refusal, using ものか.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
上司は私が提案した企画をいきなりボツにしてしまった。こうなるといつまでここで働いていた＿＿＿かどうか確信がもてない。
Where 〜ものか fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- Conditional 〜たら · N4 — 〜たら is Japanese's most flexible conditional: just add ら to the plain past. Learn the formation, the 'if/when' meaning, the discovery use, and how it beats ば/と for requests.
- 〜ものだ · N3 — 〜ものだ states general truths and common-sense advice, recalls how things used to be (〜たものだ), and voices strong feeling. Learn all four N3 uses and 〜ものではない.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜ものの — 〜ものの is a formal conjunction meaning 'although / even though' — it admits one fact, then pivots to a contradicting reality, as in パーティーに行くことにしたものの、気が進まない.
- もっとも — もっとも placed before an adjective marks the superlative — 'the most': 日本でもっとも広い干潟 ('Japan's widest tidal flat'). The same word can also open a sentence as a conjunction meaning 'that said, however.'
- もう少しで〜ところだった — もう少しで pairs with 〜ところだった to mean 'almost / nearly' happened but didn't: もう少しで電車に乗り遅れるところだった ('I nearly missed the train'). Marks a close call that was narrowly avoided.
- むしろ — むしろ is an adverb meaning 'rather / instead / on the contrary' — it rejects one option and points to a better or more accurate one, often paired with よりも or くらいなら for contrast.
- 〜なお — なお is a formal sentence-initial adverb meaning 'furthermore' or 'additionally' — it tacks on a supplementary note or caveat to what was just said, common in notices and business writing.
- 〜にあたり — 〜にあたり is a formal expression meaning 'at the time of' or 'on the occasion of,' marking an important, often one-time event or action as the backdrop for what follows — typical of speeches and greetings.