〜のももっともだ: 'No Wonder / That Makes Sense' (Meaning + Examples)
Agreeing that a reaction is reasonable
〜のももっともだ takes a clause describing someone's feeling or reaction and declares that, given the situation, the reaction is completely reasonable — "no wonder," "that makes sense," "it's only natural that..."
やったんがそんなに悔しがるのももっともだ、大事な試合に負けたのだから。
やったんが そんなに くやしがるのももっともだ、だいじな しあいに まけたのだから。
It's only natural Yattan is this frustrated — he lost an important match.
のももっともだ follows the reaction, then のだから supplies the reason.
怒るのももっともだ。約束を破られたのだから。
おこるのももっともだ。やくそくを やぶられたのだから。
No wonder you're angry. Your promise was broken, after all.
初めて聞く話なら、驚くのももっともだ。
はじめて きく はなしなら、おどろくのももっともだ。
If it's the first time you're hearing it, it's only natural to be surprised.
Attaching to a plain-form clause
〜のももっともだ follows a verb or adjective in plain form describing a reaction or state. The reason is usually supplied nearby, often with のだから, から, or a preceding conditional なら.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain verb | 普通形 + のももっともだ | 怒るのももっともだ (it's only natural to be angry) |
| い-adjective | 普通形 + のももっともだ | 悔しいのももっともだ (it's understandable to feel frustrated) |
| After a condition | 〜なら、〜のももっともだ | 驚くのももっともだ (natural to be surprised) |
そんな経験をしたなら、モチが人前で話すのを嫌がるのももっともだ。
そんな けいけんを したなら、モチが ひとまえで はなすのを いやがるのももっともだ。
Given that experience, it's only natural Mochi hates speaking in front of people.
Longer clauses before のももっともだ are common in written explanations.
Don't confuse with 〜のは当然だ
〜のは当然だ (とうぜんだ, "it's a matter of course") also means "naturally" or "of course," but it states an objective, almost rule-like certainty — often about facts or logical necessity. 〜のももっともだ is warmer and more personal: it validates someone's emotional reaction as reasonable given their specific circumstances, rather than declaring a general truth.
The short version
- 〜のももっともだ = "no wonder / it's only natural" — validates a reaction as reasonable given the situation.
- Attaches to: a plain-form verb or い-adjective describing a reaction + のももっともだ; reason often follows with のだから.
- Nuance/register: neutral-to-formal; common in both speech and writing when showing understanding.
- Don't confuse with: 〜のは当然だ, a more objective "of course, naturally" about facts rather than feelings.
Practice it
Choose のももっともだ when the sentence validates someone's reaction as reasonable given the circumstances.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
＿＿＿。約束を破られたのだから。
Where 〜のももっともだ fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜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:
- 〜のもとで — 〜のもとで attaches to a noun to mean 'under', 'with', or 'in the environment/authority of' — 先生のもとで学ぶ (study under a teacher). It frames an influence, guidance, or condition that something happens within.
- 〜抜きで — 〜抜きで attaches to a noun to mean 'leaving out', 'skipping', or 'without' — 冗談抜きで (joking aside, seriously). It signals that something normally present is deliberately omitted from what follows.
- 〜抜く — 抜く as a main verb means 'to pull out/extract' — 栓を抜く (pull out a stopper). Attached to a verb's ます-stem, it becomes a suffix meaning 'do all the way through despite difficulty' — 生き抜く (survive to the end), やり抜く (see it through).
- 〜おまけに — おまけに is a sentence-connecting conjunction meaning 'to make matters worse', 'on top of that', or 'what's more'. It piles a second unwelcome fact onto an already bad situation described in the previous sentence.
- せいぜい — せいぜい is an adverb meaning 'at most,' 'at best,' or 'only' — せいぜい100ドル足らず ('at most, barely 100 dollars'). It caps an estimate at its upper limit, usually implying that limit is smaller or less impressive than expected.
- 〜て以来 — 〜て以来 attaches to the て-form of a one-time past event to mean 'ever since...' — 日本に来て以来、毎日が楽しい. It marks a turning point after which a new state has continued unbroken.