と言う

To Say That

Level 1Sounds Like toiu

と言う（という） is the standard way to quote speech or name things in Japanese. It functions like 'says that...' or 'called...' in English.

How It Works

と言う serves several primary roles in Japanese to help you become proficient in reporting information and defining terms:

1. Quoting Speech (Reported Speech):
It can be used for direct quotes (using brackets 「 」) or indirect quotes (paraphrasing).

  • For Direct Quotes: Place the exact words in brackets followed by と言う.
  • For Indirect Quotes: The quoted part must be in the Plain Form. If the quote ends in a noun or な-adjective, you must add the copula だ before と.

2. Naming and Defining:

  • Naming: When identifying something by name (e.g., 'a person called Tanaka'), the structure is [Name] という [Noun].
  • Defining: The structure というのは is used to define a term or introduce a topic for explanation (e.g., 'A means B').

3. Appositive (Explaining Noun Content):
と言う can connect a full sentence to a noun to explain exactly what that noun is. For example, 'the news that he won't come' uses [Sentence] という [Noun].

4. Emphasis with Interrogatives:
When combined with words like 何（なん）, it creates an emphatic exclamation (e.g., なんという... 'What a...!').

Register Note:
In casual conversation, と言う is very frequently contracted to って. In writing, the kanji と言う is used for literal speech, while the hiragana という is preferred for naming, defining, or appositive functions.

Examples (6)

  1. 田中さんは「明日行きます」と言いました。

    Tanaka-san said, "I will go tomorrow."

    Word by Word: Tanaka (topic) "tomorrow go (polite)" (quote) said (polite).

    This is a direct quote using the polite past form 言いました（いいました）.

  2. 彼は来ないと言っていました。

    He was saying that he won't come.

    Word by Word: He (topic) come-not (plain) (quote) was saying (polite).

    This uses the ている form to indicate a message being passed on or something said repeatedly.

  3. これはサクラという花です。

    This is a flower called 'Sakura'.

    Word by Word: This (topic) Sakura called flower is (polite).

    This demonstrates the naming function. Note that the hiragana という is used here.

  4. 日本人が減っているというニュースを聞きました。

    I heard the news that the Japanese population is decreasing.

    Word by Word: Japanese people (subject) decreasing (plain) that news (object) heard (polite).

    This is the appositive usage, where a clause (the population is decreasing) explains the content of the noun (news).

  5. 「敬語」というのは、相手を敬う言葉のことです。

    'Keigo' means words used to show respect to the other person.

    Word by Word: "Keigo" (topic/definition) other person (object) respect words (possessive) thing is (polite).

    This uses the というのは structure to define a term.

  6. なんという美しい景色でしょう！

    What a beautiful view this is!

    Word by Word: What (quote) beautiful scenery (polite conjecture)!

    This shows the emphatic use of という with an interrogative word to express exclamation.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the copula だ（だ） for nouns in indirect quotes.

    彼は学生と言う。
    彼は学生だと言う。

    When reporting a statement that ends in a noun, you must include the plain copula だ before the quotative particle と.

  • Confusing the particle と（と） with を（を） when quoting.

    「さようなら」を言いました。
    「さようなら」と言いました。

    The particle を is used for the act of speaking (e.g., telling a lie), but と must be used to mark the specific content or words being said.

How It Connects

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と言うLevel 1To Say That

Learn This First

To understand 'と言う', you need to know how the particle 'と' functions as a quotation marker and have a basic grasp of Japanese verb usage and sentence structure.

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Words in This Pattern

と言う