Said, called, means: と, って and という
と goes after the words someone said: と言いました is "said". The same と is in という, which is "called" between a name and a noun, and in という意味です, "it means". In conversation と usually comes out as って.
| Form | What it does | In conversation |
|---|---|---|
| Words + と言う | "Said": someone's words, exact or retold | って |
| Request + ように言う | "Told someone to": what was wanted, not the words | No change |
| Name + という + noun | "Called": a name one of you may not know | っていう |
| Name + と呼ぶ | "Call", as in "call me Ken" | って |
| Sentence + という + noun | "The news that…": what a story or a message says | っていう |
| Meaning + という意味だ | "It means…": what a word or a sign means | って |
| Word + というのは | "X is…": a word, then its explanation | って |
| Word + とは | The written と | と |
| いわゆる + noun | "What is known as": a label already in use | No change |
と言う: what someone said
Full pageとN5と言う・
と言う reports what someone said: the words come first, then と, then 言う, "say". English puts "that" before the words; と goes after them.
The teacher said, "Tomorrow is a day off."
The exact words, inside 「 」, with です kept.
The teacher said that tomorrow was a day off.
Retold in the plain form: です becomes だ.
Retold words stay plain even when the sentence ends politely. A quoted sentence takes と, not を.
と言いました tells it as something that happened, and is also for your own words. と言っていました passes on what you heard to someone who wasn't there, so it is how a message is given.
What did Tanaka say?
He said he'd be a little late.
聞く (hear), 書く (write) and 思う (think) take the same と.
The newspaper said that the station would be completed next month.
English says the newspaper "said" it. Japanese says it was written there.
って: と in conversation
Full pageってN5
って belongs to conversation, casual or polite.
Ms. Sato said, "I'll be a little late."
と is neutral: said and written everywhere.
Ms. Sato said, "I'll be a little late."
In conversation. Still polite.
with family and friends
My older brother said he would come home tomorrow.
With the verb left off, って alone usually means "he says" or "I hear".
Tanaka says he isn't coming.
Tanaka said so, or someone told you.
Where quoting goes wrong
English shifts the tense: "I'm busy" becomes "she said she was busy". Japanese keeps the words as they were said.
She said she was busy.
Her words: 忙しい, "I'm busy".
She said she had been busy.
Her words: 忙しかった, "I was busy".
Before と思います, "I think", the thought stays in the plain form.
Not said: この
(I think this movie is long.)
長いと思います.
ように言う: told someone to
Full pageようにN4
ように言う retells a request or an order: "told someone to". It gives only what was wanted, not the words, as a dictionary form or a ない-form, never as てください.
Kenta said, "I'll call later."
The words that were said.
My mother told my little brother to call when he got home.
What she wanted him to do.
My doctor told me to walk for thirty minutes every day.
言われる is "be told". "Ask someone to" is ように頼む.
という: called
Full pageというN5
という is "called", with the name first and the kind of thing last. It says the name may be new to one of you, so という is usually left out with a name you both know. いう is the verb 言う, "say"; in という it is usually written in hiragana.
There is a cafe called Aozora in front of the station.
There was a phone call from Sato.
You both know who Sato is.
There was a phone call from a person named Sato.
A stranger to you, or to the person you are telling.
In casual talk という becomes っていう, or just って.
Have you seen a film called The Road to the Moon?
Do you know someone named Tanaka?
何という asks the name. At the end of a sentence といいます is "is called", and it is also a polite way to give your own name.
What is this dish called?
It's called okonomiyaki.
Nice to meet you. My name is Lin.
With a customer or at an interview: と申します, the humble form.
と呼ぶ: what people call someone or something
Full pageと呼ぶ・
と呼ぶ is "call", and と呼ばれている is "is called".
Please call me Ken.
You can see Mt Fuji from it, which is why this slope is called Fujimi-zaka, "Fuji-view slope".
といいます gives the name itself. と呼ぶ and と呼ばれている give the name people use, which is often a nickname, a short form or a popular name. For a thing with one ordinary name, either will often do.
という after a whole sentence: the news that…
Full pageというN3
After a whole sentence, という gives what the news, the story or the opinion says, and English uses "that". When the sentence only says which letter or which story, it goes straight in front of the noun, with no という.
The letter that my mother wrote has arrived.
Which letter: the one she wrote.
A letter arrived saying that my mother had gone into the hospital.
What the letter says.
Did you hear that Tanaka is leaving the company?
With friends. English often drops the noun: "did you hear that…".
という意味だ: it means
Full pageという意味だN4
という意味です is "it means…", with the meaning first. 意味 is a noun, "meaning", so the sentence ends in です, where English has the verb "mean". The question is どういう意味ですか.
What does this sign mean?
It means that bicycles must not enter beyond this point.
This "daijoubu" means "I don't need it."
With friends: って意味.
Asking about a word
When you ask about a word you have heard, it takes って in conversation.
〜ってどういう意味ですかwhat does … mean?
What does "kosupa" mean?
何と言いますかwhat do you call it?
What do you call this in Japanese?
For a thing whose name you don't know.
何て言うの？what do you call it?
What do you call this in Japanese?
The same question, with friends. 何て is 何と.
というのは and とは: explaining a word
というのは comes after a word you are about to explain: "X is…", "X means…". とは is the written というのは, for dictionaries, textbooks, contracts and reports. In conversation というのは often shrinks to って.
The "shihatsu" is the first train or bus of the day.
To a friend.
The "shihatsu" is the first train or bus of the day.
In a lesson, or explaining at work.
The "shihatsu" is the first train or bus of the day.
In a dictionary or a textbook.
The explanation ends in a noun: のことです for a thing, ことです or という意味です for an action or a saying. English can end on a verb, "X means to leave early"; the Japanese sentence still needs its ことです.
"Kao ga hiroi", to have a wide face, means that you know a lot of people.
Not said: 「早退」と
("Soutai" means leaving before the set time.)
…早く帰ることです.
いわゆる: what is known as
Full pageいわゆるN2
いわゆる goes in front of a label that is already in use, such as a buzzword or a set phrase: "what is known as". It doesn't go with the name of a person or a shop: that is という.
English "so-called" usually hints at doubt. いわゆる often has none.
He is what you would call the indoor type.
The usual word for someone like him. No doubt in it.
He is a so-called expert, but he has almost no practical experience.
The second half does the doubting.
"I think" and "so that means"
と思うN4
"I think": the quoting と, after a thought. What someone else thinks takes と思っている.
My mother thinks I am still a child.
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.
Pages in this comparison
- とand; with; (say, think) that · N5
- と言う・
と言っていたsaid (that)… · N4 - ってsays that…; as for… · N5
- ようにso that; told to; I hope · N4
- というcalled; named · N5
- と呼ぶ・
と呼ばれているcall; is called; is known as · N4 - というthe news that…; the idea that… · N3
- という意味だit means… · N4
- というのはX means…; the reason is… · N3
- とはX means…; to think that… · N2
- いわゆるwhat is known as; what people call · N2