というのは details
write + what X means is
kaku to iu no wa
what X means is; as for X — holds a word or a claim up and explains it
「敷金」というのは、部屋を借りるときに預けるお金のことです。
"shikikin" to iu no wa, heya o kariru toki ni azukeru okane no koto desu.
"Shikikin" is the money you put down when you rent a room. neutral
田中さんが会社を辞めるというのは本当ですか。
tanaka-san ga kaisha o yameru to iu no wa hontou desu ka.
Is it true that Tanaka-san is leaving the company? neutral
- dictionary form
- past
- negative
- negative + past
- noun
- colloquial
- contraction
Examples
what X means is — takes a word or a phrase the listener may not know and gives its meaning
「敷金」というのは、部屋を借りるときに預けるお金のことです。
"shikikin" to iu no wa, heya o kariru toki ni azukeru okane no koto desu.
"Shikikin" is the money you put down when you rent a room. neutral
「バズる」ってのは、ネットで急に話題になることだよ。
"bazuru" tte no wa, netto de kyuu ni wadai ni naru koto da yo.
"Bazuru" means suddenly becoming a talking point online. casual
本資料における「利用者」というのは、当サービスに登録された方のことです。
hon shiryou ni okeru "riyousha" to iu no wa, tou saabisu ni touroku sareta kata no koto desu.
"User" in this document means a person registered with this service. formal
as for the claim that… — holds a whole reported statement up as the topic and asks about it or passes judgment on it
田中さんが会社を辞めるというのは本当ですか。
tanaka-san ga kaisha o yameru to iu no wa hontou desu ka.
Is it true that Tanaka-san is leaving the company? neutral
一人で全部やるっていうのは、さすがに無理だよ。
hitori de zenbu yaru tte iu no wa, sasuga ni muri da yo.
Doing the whole lot single-handed is honestly not going to happen. casual
that is because — opens a sentence and explains the one before it, closing on 〜からだ
今年は例年より収穫が少ない。というのは、夏の雨が極端に少なかったからだ。
kotoshi wa reinen yori shuukaku ga sukunai. to iu no wa, natsu no ame ga kyokutan ni sukunakatta kara da.
The harvest is smaller than usual this year. That is because there was hardly any rain in the summer. neutral
Formation
{P}というのはattaches to plain form{N}というのはattaches to nounというのは、clause＋からだ（というのは、夏の雨が少なかったからだ）attaches to plain clause
Variant notes
- っていうのは — the spoken default — 「バズる」っていうのは何ですか。
- ってのは — っていうのは clipped further; conversation only, and blunt enough that it often carries a verdict — 残業代が出ないってのはひどいな。
Notes
〜という意味だ, 〜を指す — and the reason use wants 〜からだ at the
far end. Drop those and the sentence is left unfinished.
Related patterns
Similar
という hands a name or a clause on to a following noun and cannot stand without one (「はな」という店); というのは stops right there and makes the term itself the topic, so a whole explaining sentence follows instead of a noun.
なぜかというと announces that a reason is coming and is a spoken, teacherly move; sentence-initial というのは just resumes what was said and explains it, and is what written argument uses — both still close on 〜からだ.
Lookalikes
One kana apart and doing opposite work — ということは takes what is already established and DRAWS something out of it (中止ということは、また今度だね), while というのは takes something not yet settled and holds it up to be explained or judged (〜のことだ, 〜という意味だ, 本当ですか), never to have a conclusion drawn from it.