言い表す・言い表わす・言い現す|いいあらわすiiarawasu[5]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
言い表す言い表す is the most common and standard form, and the recommended choice for beginners. Use it when writing the word in Japanese.
言い表わす言い表わす is a less common spelling variant of 言い表す. You may encounter it, but beginners should choose 言い表す instead.
言い現す言い現す is a rarely used spelling of 言い表す. You will seldom see it; beginners should use 言い表す instead.
Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verbto express (in words)
- godan verb, transitive verbto confess
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 言い表す（いいあらわす） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 言い表します（いいあらわします） |
| Negative (nai) | 言い表さない（いいあらわさない） |
| polite (masen) | 言い表しません（いいあらわしません） |
| classical zu / nu | 言い表さず・言い表さぬ（いいあらわさず・いいあらわさぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 言い表した（いいあらわした） |
| polite (mashita) | 言い表しました（いいあらわしました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 言い表さなかった（いいあらわさなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 言い表しませんでした（いいあらわしませんでした） |
| Te form | 言い表して（いいあらわして） |
| Potential | 言い表せる（いいあらわせる） |
| Passive | 言い表される（いいあらわされる） |
| Causative | 言い表させる（いいあらわさせる） |
| Causative passive | 言い表させられる（いいあらわさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 言い表せば（いいあらわせば） |
| tara | 言い表したら（いいあらわしたら） |
| Volitional | 言い表そう（いいあらわそう） |
| polite (mashou) | 言い表しましょう（いいあらわしましょう） |
| Imperative | 言い表せ（いいあらわせ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym言ういうNeutralNeutral: the most basic verb for saying, with the widest range; 「言い表す」 by contrast stresses putting one's thoughts into words aptly.
- Synonym述べるのべるWrittenWritten/formal prose: to state or set out opinions and facts, stressing an orderly, coherent explanation.
- Synonym吐露とろWrittenWritten/formal prose: to give voice to true feelings kept hidden inside, stressing the act of pouring one's heart out.
- Synonym申し上げるもうしあげるFormalThe humble equivalent of 「言う」: formal, shows deference to the person addressed (superiors, clients, readers); it does not stress how apt the wording is.
- Synonym申し述べるもうしのべるFormalA humble form of 「述べる」: to state something to someone deserving respect, such as superiors or clients, in formal settings.
- Related話すはなすNeutralNeutral: to talk or converse, centered on conveying things orally; it does not stress whether the expression is apt.
- Related語るかたるWrittenWritten/formal prose: to tell or talk about something with real substance and length, as in 「夢を語る」.
- Related口走るくちばしるCasualColloquial: to blurt out words without thinking, often things that should not have been said.
- Related物語るものがたるWrittenWritten/formal prose: to tell a story, or for the facts themselves to make the point, as in 「事実が物語る」.
- RelatedおっしゃるFormalThe honorific equivalent of 「言う」: formal, used only for what others say, never for your own words.
- Related書き表すかきあらわすWrittenWritten/formal prose: to express something in writing; 「言い表す」 is about expressing in words and covers both speech and writing.
- Related言い漏らすいいもらすNeutralNeutral: to fail to mention or forget to say something, and also to let a secret slip; the former is the reverse of expressing it.
- Antonym隠すかくすNeutralNeutral: to hide or conceal something so others will not know it — the opposite of saying what is in one's heart.
- Antonym黙秘するWrittenWritten/formal prose: to keep silent and not speak out, mostly in interrogations — the opposite of putting things into words.
For ordinary saying or talking, use 「言う」 or 「話す」. Pick 「言い表す」 to stress putting feelings into just the right words, as in 「言葉では言い表せない」; to express something in writing, use 「書き表す」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
