というもの
Attached to a length of time, it emphasizes that throughout that whole period, which the speaker feels was long, a certain action or state continued without a break.
QuantityA number plus a counter.
三つ・二人・五冊・一時間
Lengths of time count too: 三年・一時間・二週間. Points in time such as 三時・三月 do not.
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Written, somewhat literary style, common in narratives and essays. The main clause usually describes a continuing effort, hardship, or state, often expressed with 続ける, ずっと, or a negative such as 〜ずに. Unlike neutral duration markers, it adds the speaker's feeling that the period was long or heavy.
Learners sometimes attach it to a point in time (e.g., a clock time or date); it needs a span of time such as 10年 or 1週間.
Note that the following clause should describe something that continued throughout the period, not a single one-time event.
Do not confuse it with sentence-final というものだ, which makes a general assertion about what something is.
- 1.てからというものN1「てからというもの」attaches to the verb's te-form (or appears as 「それからというもの」) and marks something as the starting point after which the situation completely changed and has continued ever since; 「というもの」only attaches to expressions of duration, so they cannot be swapped.
- 2.というものだN2「というものだ」comes at the end of a sentence and follows nouns, adjectives, or verbs, giving a definitive evaluation like 'this truly is...' or 'it really amounts to...'; 「というもの」only takes duration words with the nuance of 'a whole...', so their meanings differ and they can't replace each other.
- 3.にわたってN2「にわたって」objectively states how long a period lasts, often used in news reports and official documents, and it can also express breadth across space or domains (as in 「AからBにわたる」). When expressing duration it can replace 「というもの」, but doing so loses the emotional tone.
- 4.を通じて / を通してN2「を通じて／を通して」also carries the meaning of 'by means of/through' some medium; when indicating a span, it can take time periods or ranges and stays objective and neutral, without the sense of 'for this entire stretch' found in 「というもの」, so the two generally should not be interchanged.
- 5.末にN2「末に」follows the ta-form of a verb or 「noun + の」and emphasizes the final outcome after a long process; 「というもの」takes only duration words, followed by a state continuing throughout, repeated actions, or something that never happened during that time, so they cannot be exchanged.
- 6.中N3When read 「じゅう」(as in 「一日中」), 「中」also expresses 'the whole period', attaching directly to nouns and working in both spoken and written language without any emotive coloring; 「中」can additionally mean 'in the middle of...' or 'within...', senses that 「というもの」does not have.
てからというもの follows a verb て-form and marks a starting event after which a change persists, whereas というもの follows a duration noun and stresses its length. というものだ is a sentence-final judgment, and にわたって, を通じて / を通して, and 中 express span or ongoing time neutrally, without the emotional weight of というもの. 末に marks an outcome reached after a long process rather than a continuing state.
