〜と言う|〜とゆう
- 1Introduces someone's words as a direct or indirect quotation.Ex. 1
- 2In と言われている, reports what is said without naming a speaker.Ex. 2
Plain formThe plain forms without です／ます, for verbs, adjectives and nouns alike: affirmative or negative, non-past or past.
行く・高い・静かだ・学生だ (and their negative and past forms)
Polite formThe polite forms with です／ます, for verbs, adjectives and nouns alike.
行きます・高いです・静かです・学生です (and their negative and past forms)
Plain formThe plain forms without です／ます, for verbs, adjectives and nouns alike: affirmative or negative, non-past or past.
行く・高い・静かだ・学生だ (and their negative and past forms)
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
This neutral pattern is used in speech and writing to quote someone or report what they said. The passive と言われている presents a report without identifying who said it. Unlike hearsay そうだ, と言う uses the verb “say” to frame the content.
Note that と言う may be pronounced とゆう, but that pronunciation does not apply to inflected forms such as と言いました.
Do not use を instead of と to mark the quoted content.
- 1.というN4When quoting what someone said, 「という」 works the same as 「と言う」 and the two are interchangeable. 「という」 can also attach to a noun to mean "called …" or link a clause to nouns like 「話」 or 「ニュース」 to state their content; in these uses it is usually written in kana and involves no actual speaking.
- 2.ということだN3Placed at the end of a sentence, 「ということだ」 relays something heard or read and doesn't need to name the speaker, whereas 「と言う」 describes the act of someone speaking itself. 「ということだ」 can also mean "in other words," a use 「と言う」 doesn't have.
- 3.そうだN4「そうだ」 expresses only hearsay: it can't directly quote the original words and can't itself be made past or negative (whereas 「と言う」 can become 「言った」). It is close to 「と言われている」, but the latter refers to what people generally say, while 「そうだ」 usually has a specific source.
- 4.んだってN3「んだって」 is very casual speech focused on sharing news you've heard with the listener, without saying who said it, and with rising intonation, 「〜んだって？」 checks a rumor with them. Nouns and な-adjectives take 「なんだって」, and it isn't appropriate in formal situations.
- 5.によると / によればN3「によると」 follows a noun to mark the source of information (including maps and documents), and the sentence often ends with 「そうだ」, 「らしい」, or similar; 「と言う」 follows quoted content to express someone's act of speaking. The two are not interchangeable.
- 6.というのはN3「〜と言う」 means "say …" and quotes a remark or a common saying, while 「というのは」 doesn't express speaking: it takes up a word or matter as a topic to define or explain it, or, at the start of a sentence, adds the reason for the previous sentence. The two are not interchangeable.
という links quoted content or a name to a noun, while というのは introduces something for explanation and ということだ can report information or a conclusion. そうだ and casual んだって convey hearsay; によると／によれば introduces the source of information rather than serving as the verb “say.”
