って
- 1Noun + って + noun: "a ~ called ~", the casual form of という.Ex. 1
- 2Noun + っていう + noun: "a ~ called ~", the casual form of という before a noun.Ex. 2
- 3Marks a topic ("as for ~"), quotes speech before 言う／聞く, or ends a sentence to report hearsay.
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Used in casual speech among friends, family and peers and in informal writing such as messages. It lets speakers name, bring up or quote something lightly. In formal or written contexts the full forms という, というのは, と and そうだ are preferred. In the naming use, って before a noun stands for という, while っていう keeps the いう; both are fine.
Do not use って in formal writing, business settings or polite speech to superiors; use the full forms instead.
Note that sentence-final って reports hearsay, whereas って before a noun names something.
- というN4「という」 is register-neutral and can be used in writing and formal situations. It can replace 「って」 for naming ('called ~'), explaining content, and hearsay; for quotation it corresponds to 「と」, as in 「来ると聞いた」, and for topic-marking you need 「というのは」.
- 〜と言うN4「〜と言う」 is close to 「って」's quotation and 'called ~' meanings, and in speech it can be swapped for 「って」. However, 「〜と言う」 is register-neutral and works in both writing and formal situations, while 「って」 only suits casual conversation.
- というのはN3「というのは」 corresponds only to 「って」's topic-marking use; it is register-neutral and can be used in writing. 「って」 cannot be swapped for it when expressing 'called ~' or quotation, and 「というのは」 can also be placed at the start of a sentence to explain a reason.
- はN5「は」 is close to 「って」 only in topic-marking: 「は」 is register-neutral, can also express contrast, and can attach after case particles, whereas 「って」 is spoken-only and carries the evaluative tone of 'so-called / speaking of'. Quotation and 'called ~' meanings cannot be replaced with 「は」.
- んだってN3「んだって」 corresponds only to 「って」's sentence-final hearsay use, where the two are often interchangeable. It adds the explanatory nuance of 「ん」, as if sharing fresh news, and rising intonation can seek the listener's confirmation; nouns and な-adjectives must take 「なんだって」.
という, 〜と言う and というのは are the neutral or formal counterparts of the naming, quoting and topic uses. Unlike plain は, topic って adds a sense of bringing something up or asking about it. んだって is a fuller hearsay ending; sentence-final って alone conveys the same report more casually.
