という意味だit means…
という意味です is "it means…": the meaning comes first. The question that goes with it is どういう意味ですか, "What does it mean?"
This sign means that cards cannot be used.
How to form it
Thing explained は + meaning + という意味だ
Polite という意味です. With friends, って意味.
To ask
どういう意味ですか
- Before it
- The meaning: a sentence in the plain form (行かないという意味) or a word in 「 」 (「休み」という意味). After a sentence, という joins the two, and the sentence sounds odd without it.
- What it explains
- A word, a sign, a sound, a gesture, something a person said.
- Where you'll meet it
- Classes, dictionaries, rules and signs, and any time someone checks what was meant.
In use
"Kesseki" means not going to school, a meeting and so on.
What does this sign mean?
It means that bicycles must not enter beyond this point.
The teacher's silent nod meant that it was okay to continue.
with friends
This "daijoubu" means "I don't need it."
Two things to know
English has a verb, Japanese a noun
"Mean" is a verb. 意味 is a noun, "meaning", so the sentence ends in だ or です. There is a verb, 意味する, but it is mostly for formal writing.
What does this word signify?
Correct, and stiff: the wording of a lecture.
どういう意味ですか, said to a person
About a word, it is a plain question. About something a person has just said to you, it is "What do you mean by that?", and it can sound like a challenge. The way out is そういう意味じゃない, "that's not what I meant".
Your cooking has gotten better.
What do you mean? Was it bad before?
Sorry, that's not what I meant.
Close neighbours
というN5
Between a name and a kind of thing it is "called": a name, not a meaning.
There is a cafe called Aozora in front of the station.
ということだN3
"So that means…": what follows from a fact, not what a word or a sign means.
This ticket is valid today only. In other words, that means you can't use it tomorrow.
Check yourself
1Which one fits?
この
Choose an answer to see why.
2You tell a friend 今日は静かだね, and she answers sharply: どういう意味？ What is she asking?
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
意味がない
Without という, 意味がない is "there's no point".
There's no point in going now.
More sentences
This bell means that class is starting.
The blue sign on the door means that it is okay to enter now.
In this sentence, "karui" means "not heavy".
"Jokou" means to slow down and keep going.