と marks words or thoughts as a quote. A verb such as 言う, “say”, 思う, “think”, or 聞く, “hear”, comes after it. 「行く」と言った means “she said, ‘I’ll go’”, and 雨が降ると思う means “I think it’ll rain”.
って is the casual version. It can replace と before any of those verbs. It can also end a sentence with the verb left unsaid, or pick out a word or topic the speaker wants to talk about.
Usage Notes
The same と works for a direct quote, which repeats someone’s exact words, and an indirect quote, which reports what they meant. Writing puts a direct quote in 「」 brackets. Speech has no brackets, and manga balloons usually leave them out, so the wording before と shows which kind it is. A direct quote keeps the original politeness and point of view. An indirect quote usually switches to plain form.
The quote comes first and the verb comes last. Before と, a noun or な-adjective usually keeps だ, as in 学生だと思う, “I think she’s a student”. In an indirect quote, politeness goes on the main verb. 行くと言いました is polite, and the quoted 行く stays plain.
Casual speech uses って for と almost everywhere, and っていう for という. The verb often drops out. 明日休みだって can mean “they say tomorrow’s a day off” or “I told you, tomorrow’s a day off”, depending on the scene.
This と is a different use from the と that means “and” or “with”, and from the conditional 〜と, “when”.
Formation
View formation details
Quote ＋ と ＋ 言う
「行きます」と言った
"She said, "I'll go.""
Quote ＋ って ＋ 言う (casual)
大丈夫って言ってた
"He said he was fine."
Plain clause ＋ と ＋ 思う
明日は雨だと思う
"I think it'll rain tomorrow."
Note: Nouns and な-adjectives keep だ before と.
Plain clause ＋ って ＋ 聞く
先生が休みだって聞いた
"I heard the teacher is out today."
Plain clause ＋ って (verb dropped)
明日は休みだって
"They say tomorrow's a day off."
Note: The listener fills in 言ってた or 聞いた from context.
Quote ＋ と ＋ 言われる
来るなと言われた
"I was told not to come."
Name ＋ と ＋ 呼ぶ
先生と呼んで
"Call me "Teacher.""
Name ＋ という・っていう ＋ Noun
タマっていう猫
"a cat called Tama"
Noun ＋ って (topic)
数学って難しいね
"Math is hard, huh?"
Note: Short for っていうのは, "the thing called".
Quoting Someone’s Exact Words
To quote someone, give their words, then と, then a verb such as 言う. A direct quote repeats the words exactly as they were said, or as they should be said. Casual speech uses って in place of と.
Yotsuba and her father have their first breakfast since moving to a new house in a new town. Yotsuba takes a bite from her toast, then drinks down some milk.
よつば:
「こっちの牛乳はうめぇな！！」
“The milk here is good!”
父さん:
「（いっしょだろう…）よつば 今日は遊びに行く時 ちゃんといってきますって言えよ」
“(It tastes the same...) Yotsuba, when you go out to play today, make sure you say "I'm off", okay?”
During breakfast, Yotsuba’s father reminds her of a house rule. いってきます, “I’m off”, is the set phrase people say when they leave home. He wants those exact words from her, so the quote is direct. って marks the quote, and 言えよ, “say it”, is the imperative of 言う with よ.
Chiya is playing chess, and Cocoa wants to help. She shouts チェストだよ！, “this is where you say ‘chest’!” Chiya guesses which word she means: チェックメイトって言いたいの？, “do you want to say ‘checkmate’?” The quote is the exact word, with casual って in place of と.
Example 3 of 3: As if to say try and catch me 〜んばかり
Kei and Chinatsu watch as their cousin, Makoto, chases a pheasant back and forth across the field. During a break in the chase, Makoto explains her fascination with the bird.
真琴:
「常に届きそうで届かない距離をキープしてて」
“Constantly seeming like you can reach and keeping a distance you can't...”
「捕まえてみろよと言わんばかりの目で見てくるんです」
“It's been looking with eyes as if to say, try and catch me!”
Makoto has been chasing a pheasant back and forth across a field, and it always stays just out of reach. 捕まえてみろよ, “try and catch me”, is in quotes even though nobody said it. と言わんばかり means “as if to say”, so the pheasant’s eyes say it for the bird.
In writing, a direct quote usually goes in brackets, as in 「いってきます」と言う.
Reporting What Someone Said
An indirect quote reports what someone meant instead of their exact words. The quoted part is usually in plain form, even when the original wasn’t.
Syaro’s friends have come to the tea house where she works, and nobody can decide what to order. Syaro suggests lavender for Rize, because Rize mentioned that she hasn’t been sleeping well. 眠れない, “can’t sleep”, sums up what Rize told her.
Hired to confirm whether a client’s wife is having an affair, Kogoro reveals a candid photo he took of the wife with another man. The client mentions he let his staff take a break so they wouldn’t know about Kogoro’s visit. Kogoro asks if that includes the client’s wife.
伝次郎:
「いや… 稲子は琴の稽古があるといって昼前に勝手に出かけたよ」
“No... Ineko said she had a koto lesson and went out on her own before noon.”
Kogoro has a photo suggesting that his client’s wife, Ineko, is having an affair. The client gave his staff the day off, and Kogoro asks whether that includes his wife. 琴の稽古があるといって is “saying she had a koto lesson”. The client is passing on her words, and they were her excuse for going out.
Example 3 of 5: Additionally, I'm happier having girls here with それに〜
Kei’ichi is excited to spend four days at the beach with his university automobile club and Belldandy. His mood changes when he hears Sayoko call out to him.
螢一:
「田宮先輩まさか美術部と合同でやるんじゃないでしょうね」
“Tamiya, don't tell me we're doing this with the art club!”
田宮:
「ん……ああ。自動車部を題材にしたいっていうから…… それに女の子がいた方が嬉しい…」
“It's because they said they wanted to use the automobile club as a subject... Additionally, I'm happier having girls here.”
Keiichi’s automobile club is spending four days at the beach, and he’s dismayed to find the art club coming too. Tamiya explains that the art club wants to use the car club as a subject. っていうから is casual というから, “since they say…”. He’s passing on what the art club told him.
Example 4 of 5: They'll target not just me with 〜だけじゃなく〜も
After Shin’ichi was forced to take a deadly drug that instead shrank him back to a child, he took on the undercover name Conan and went to stay with his childhood friend Ran and her detective father in the hope of a lead to the black-clad men who drugged him. He later discusses with Professor Agasa about how useless Detective Mouri is. The professor reminds Conan that the poison was supposed to have killed him, so he can’t rush and let others know his true identity.
コナン:
「オレだけじゃなく、オレのまわりの人達も危ないっていうんだろ？」
“You're saying it won't be just me, but the people around me will be in danger too, right?”
「心配すんな！ちゃんと蘭にもおっちゃんにも、江戸川コナンでとおしてるよ！！」
“Don't worry! I'm keeping up the Conan Edogawa act with Ran and the old man, too!!”
Professor Agasa reminds Conan that the poison was supposed to kill him. Conan sums up the warning: オレのまわりの人達も危ないっていうんだろ？, “you’re saying the people around me are in danger too, right?” っていう reports what the professor means, and んだろ asks him to confirm it.
Makoto and her family head out on a trip to the river. When they stop to pick up Kei’s friend Nao, Akane greets her with, “Howdy, Kei’s girlfriend!” Nao tells her she’s wrong.
圭:
「よっオレのカノジョ」
“Yo, my girlfriend.”
なお:
「やめてよ」
“Stop that!”
茜:
「と言いつつ気があったりするんでしょ？」
“Although you say that, you're interested in him, aren't you?”
The family is picking up Kei’s friend Nao for a trip to the river. Kei greets her as his girlfriend, and Nao tells him to stop. Akane doesn’t buy it. と言いつつ, “even while you say that”, points back at Nao’s protest. つつ means “while”, and the quote is what Nao just said.
The politeness is on the main verb. 言ってました is polite because Syaro is talking to an upperclassman, but the quoted 眠れない stays plain. Here’s the same remark reported both ways.
Quote
Example
Meaning
Direct
先生は「明日テストをします」と言った
The teacher said, “I’ll give a test tomorrow.”
Indirect
先生は明日テストをすると言った
The teacher said there’d be a test tomorrow.
Any verb of saying or thinking can follow the quote.
Verb
Example
Meaning
言う, say
無理だと言った
said it was impossible
思う, think
無理だと思う
I think it’s impossible
聞く, hear
無理だと聞いた
I heard it was impossible
考える, consider
無理だと考える
consider it impossible
答える, answer
無理だと答えた
answered that it was impossible
書く, write
無理だと書いてある
it says it’s impossible
と書いてある, “it says”, reports what a sign, a letter, or a note says. The writer doesn’t need to be named.
In casual speech, って replaces と before any of these verbs. It also replaces the と in という, and it can work with no verb at all. The sections below cover each use.
Futaba had been feeling the weight of uncertainty of her standing with Kou. A general discussion about boys and relationships with her friend Kikuchi clears up her feelings.
双葉:
「なんか自分はダメじゃないって言ってもらえた気がして」
“It kind of felt like you were telling me I'm not hopeless.”
Futaba has been unsure where she stands with Kou, and a talk about boys with her friend Kikuchi clears her head. 自分はダメじゃないって言ってもらえた is “I got told I’m not hopeless”. って takes the place of と before 言う.
Example 2 of 3: Correcting a case of mistaken identity with 訂正
While Sana is away with her other friends for a moment, Ayumu leaves to use the restroom. Shun takes off his glasses to rub something from his eye, only for Sana to return and mistake him for Ayumu. He doesn’t correct her, but when Sana asks where Shun is, Shun says the restroom, and goes that way himself to wash his eye. In the restroom, Shun finds Ayumu and is about to explain what happened, but stops himself. Ayumu says it’s better not to hold back, and that Shun can say anything to him. Shun finally explains that Sana mistook him for Ayumu.
駿:
「訂正しなきゃって思ったんだけど機会逃しちゃって…」
“I thought I should correct it, but I missed the chance…”
Sana mistook Shun for Ayumu, and Shun didn’t correct her. Now he’s telling Ayumu what happened. 訂正しなきゃって思った is “I thought I had to correct it”, with って in place of と before 思う.
Sana is seeing Shun for the first time in seven years, and he wears glasses now. She explains why she asked about contacts: lots of people around them wear them. どうしてかなーって stops at って. The verb, 思って, is left for the listener to fill in.
Saying What You Think with と思う
思う puts a thought in quotes. Japanese speakers say と思う far more often than English speakers say “I think”. It softens an opinion, so even a firm view sounds modest.
Example 1 of 10: Thinking it's the motive with と思う
Makoto and Tsukasa meet to study for an upcoming test. When Makoto spends her study time complaining about it, Tsukasa asks if she hates studying. Makoto says it’s not that she hates it so much as it’s difficult. She asks if Tsukasa likes studying, and he says it’s fun to learn new things and connect them to his everyday life.
真:
「司は頭いいから」
“That's because you're smart.”
司:
「頭良し悪しというよりきっかけだと思うよ」
“I think it's less about whether you're smart or not, and more about having the right motive.”
Makoto has spent the study session complaining, and she decides Tsukasa only likes studying because he’s smart. Tsukasa doesn’t think brains have much to do with it. きっかけ is whatever gets something started, here the spark that gets someone interested. It’s a noun, so it keeps だ before と. Ending with と思うよ makes the correction gentle. His line has a second quote in it, too. 頭良し悪しというより means “it’s less about smart or not smart”.
Example 2 of 10: Better to do light stretches before swimming with 〜た＋方がいい
Cocoa is about to teach Rize to swim, and Syaro stops her with a suggestion. 軽くストレッチした方がいい, “you’d better stretch a little”, is advice, and と思うの softens it into an opinion. Cocoa is impressed.
Example 3 of 10: Distracted by test scores with 気が散る
Ami is used to getting the top grade on mock exams, but when another name starts tying her scores, she begins to get flustered. Her friend Minako suggests they investigate the person behind the name, but Rei isn’t so sure.
美奈子:
「あのままじゃ 亜美ちゃん気が散って成績が落ちちゃうわ！」
“The way things are, Ami-chan'll be distracted, and her grades will drop!”
レイ:
「こんなコト 始めたってのがバレた時の方が亜美ちゃんの気が散ると思うけど」
“I think Ami-chan will be more distracted when she finds out we've started something like this.”
Ami has been flustered since another name started tying her scores on mock exams, and Minako wants to investigate. Rei disagrees: Ami would be more distracted if she found out. 気が散ると思うけど is “I think she’d be distracted, though”. けど leaves the objection hanging.
Al has shown Akari and Aika around his workplace, and Aika admits the trip wasn’t as bad as she expected. Then she adds a jab. どうかと思う, literally “I think: how is it?”, means “I have my doubts about”. Her target is Al’s old-man manner, his おやじっぷり.
Sacchan, Yui, and Kotoha play in the snow in various ways. After running out of things to do, Sacchan comes up with an idea. They head over to Officer Saitou and greet him with snowballs in hand.
斎藤:
「やはり来たか クソガキども」
“So you came after all, you little brats.”
「だが甘いわ オレを誰だと思ってやがる」
“But you underestimate me! Just who do you think I am?”
Sacchan, Yui, and Kotoha show up to pelt Officer Saitou with snowballs, and he was expecting them. オレを誰だと思ってやがる is “just who do you think I am?”, and やがる makes it a taunt. The answer comes next: he grew up in snowy Aomori.
Example 6 of 10: Thinking of revealing the truth with 〜ようと思う
Example 6 of 10
A volitional form before と思う turns the thought into a plan, “I’m thinking of doing”. Volitional with 〜う・〜よう covers this use.
Kenji thinks Kyouko is upset because he and Hikari don’t get along. His plan: tell Hikari that he’s only pretending to be a delinquent. バラそう is the volitional of バラす, “reveal”, and と思うんだ presents it as his decision. The quote inside it, 不良のフリをしてるだけだって, uses って for what he’ll tell her.
Example 7 of 10: Lunch duty today of all days with 〜に限って
Komura and Mie have serving duty in the cafeteria. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, except today Mie accidentally stepped on her glasses and broke them, and can barely see without them.
小村:
「そしてそんな日に限って給食当番」
“Thus, on a day such as that (of all days), she has lunch duty.”
「だから今日も俺が三重さんをサポートしようと思ったんだけど…」
“Therefore, I thought I'd support Mie today as well, but...”
Mie broke her glasses this morning and can barely see, and today she’s on lunch-serving duty. Komura narrates his plan: サポートしようと思った, “I thought I’d help her out”. The trailing けど hints that the plan is about to go wrong.
Example 8 of 10: Thought I would see her face with 〜ようと思う
Sazanka reached for Rindou’s mask while she slept, and Rindou woke up and backed away. When Tsubaki asks what’s going on, Sazanka explains with 見ようと思って, “I thought I’d see her face”. The て-form leaves the rest of the excuse hanging.
Example 9 of 10: Too much to handle on top of class representative duties with 荷が重い
Example 9 of 10
On its own, と思う means the speaker thinks so. For someone else’s opinion, Japanese uses と思っている, as in 彼は無理だと思っている, “he thinks it’s impossible”. The same form describes a thought the speaker has had for a while.
Takako and Azu tell their teacher they want to participate in the sports day relay race. The teacher points out that participants have already been decided, then one of the decided participants chimes in.
生徒:
「私もクラス代表はちょっと荷が重いなと思っていたので…」
“I was also thinking I have too much on my plate as class representative.”
「できれば代わってもらえたら嬉しいです」
“If possible, I'd be happy if someone could take my place.”
Takako and Azu want to run in the sports day relay, but the runners have already been chosen. One of them speaks up: she’d like to give up her spot. 荷が重いなと思っていた is “I’d been thinking it was a bit much for me”. The な inside the quote is her own sentence-ending な, kept as she thought it.
Example 10 of 10: Possibility of building a time machine with 可能
Example 10 of 10
考える, “consider”, is more formal and more deliberate than 思う.
The teacher has handed back the tests, and now he’s talking about theories of time travel. 可能だと考えています, “I believe it’s possible”, presents a position he has thought through. 私は sets his view apart from other people’s.
Explaining Why with と思って
〜と思って, “thinking that”, explains why someone did something. The thought comes first, then the action, or the action goes unsaid.
Example 1 of 3: Helpful invention for an investigation with 捜査
Conan is now staying with Detective Mouri in hopes of finding a case related to the men responsible for his becoming a child. He stops by Professor Agasa’s place to discuss the situation.
阿笠:
「おお、そうじゃ！！」
“Oh, that's right!!”
「君の捜査の役にたつと思って、作った物を…」
“I made this thinking it might help with your investigation...”
Conan has come to Professor Agasa’s house to talk about his situation. The professor suddenly remembers something and starts digging through his pile of inventions. 役にたつ means “be useful”, so 役にたつと思って is “thinking it would help”. That’s why he built the gadget he’s looking for.
Example 2 of 3: Thank you for the water with ありがとうございました
Example 2 of 3
The pattern often answers a thank-you or an awkward question.
Natsumi tried making new friends from college only to end up drunk and abandoned. At class one day, she finds herself face to face with the helpful person who had found her and briefly helped her afterward.
なつみ:
「……… ……… あのっ。」
“Um...”
「この前水くれた方…ですよね？」
“You're the one who gave me water before...right?”
女:
「…はい。」
“...yes.”
なつみ:
「あ…あの時はありがとうございました。」
“Ah... Thank you for what you did back then.”
女:
「イエ…同じ科の人が倒れてると思って…」
“Not at all... I thought it was someone from the same department who had collapsed...”
Natsumi got drunk and was left behind after trying to make friends at college, and a stranger gave her water. Now she recognizes the woman in class and thanks her. 同じ科の人が倒れてると思って, “I thought it was someone from my department who’d collapsed”, explains why she helped. She doesn’t finish the sentence. The と思って clause is already the answer.
Example 3 of 3: Preparing to contact Asuka Jr. with 連絡
Takamiya suspects Meimi is the magical thief Saint Tail. When Meimi is asked to model a wedding dress for a design contest where Saint Tail is going to appear, Takamiya decides to keep a close eye on her at the event. As Takamiya looks around the dressing room, Meimi asks what she’s doing.
Takamiya suspects Meimi of being Saint Tail and is keeping an eye on her at a wedding dress contest. Caught snooping around the dressing room, she says 電話はどこかなと思って, “I was just wondering where the phone was”. For かなと思って, see Wondering with かな.
Hearing with と聞く and って聞く
聞く means “hear” as well as “listen” and “ask”. With a quote, it passes on something the speaker learned from someone else. と聞いた and casual って聞いた both mean “I heard that”.
On a nighttime walk, Hamaguchi sees Hokujou casually dressed and wearing glasses. She’s fine with Hamaguchi seeing her like this, as they’ve known each other for a long time, but she tells him not to tell their classmates. At school the next morning…
高尾:
「おい 昨日浜口が、メガネ女子と夜に会ってたらしいぞ！」
“Hey, I heard Hamaguchi was hanging out with a girl in glasses last night!”
Last night, Hamaguchi ran into Hokujou while she was dressed down and wearing glasses. By morning, the whole class knows. None of the boys saw anything themselves. The first one passes on the rumor with らしい. The second adds a detail he heard.
Example 2 of 3: You say that, but I didn't hear a rule against it with だって
Standing back to back, Sacchan is slightly taller than Yui. Yui questions whether Sacchan is standing tip-toed, which Sacchan denies, but Yui looks and sees that Sacchan is.
さっちゃん:
「だって背のびしちゃダメなルールって聞いてないし」
“You say that, but I didn't hear a rule against tiptoes.”
結衣:
「背のびしてもいいルールなんてないもん」
“There's no way there'd be a rule allowing tiptoes!”
Sacchan and Yui are comparing heights back to back, and Yui catches Sacchan on tiptoe. Sacchan’s defense is ルールって聞いてない, “I didn’t hear about any rule”. って replaces と before 聞く, and the negative says nobody told her.
Example 3 of 3: Attraction to the opposite sex with 異性
Example 3 of 3
Formal と聞く states something as general knowledge, often without saying who said it.
During a ninja training exercise, Tsubaki disguises herself as the teacher’s assistant in the hope of getting close enough to take the teacher’s mask. When the teacher unknowingly reveals that keeping boys and girls separate has been aided by lying to the female ninjas about men being scary, Tsubaki accidentally drops her disguise. The teacher has no choice but to take Tsubaki into her confidence and explain the reason for the separation, starting with the word “love”, of which Tsubaki is unfamiliar.
ハナ先生:
「異性に好きという思いを寄せることだ。」
“It means harboring feelings of affection for someone of the opposite sex.”
「年頃になると皆経験すると聞く。」
“I hear that everyone goes through this when they reach a certain age.”
Tsubaki has never heard the word “love”, so Hana-sensei explains it. 年頃になると皆経験すると聞く is “I’m told everyone goes through it at a certain age”. She doesn’t say who told her. と聞く presents it as common knowledge.
Relaying News with って
At the end of a sentence, って can stand alone. The verb, usually 言ってた or 聞いた, is understood. English says “he said” or “I hear”.
After cheerleading practice, Sakura overhears her friends talking about incidents at the school pool, where Sakura and Chiharu were among those mysteriously pulled underwater.
千春:
「きょう また プールで足 引っぱられておぼれそうになったんだって」
“I heard that today, someone got dragged under the water at the pool and almost drowned again.”
奈緒子:
「こわいねーーー」
“That's scary!”
千春:
「先生が原因がわからないならプール閉鎖するしかないっていってたよ」
“The teacher said that if they can't figure out the cause, they'll have no choice but to close the pool.”
After cheerleading practice, Sakura’s friends are talking about the school pool, where students keep getting pulled underwater. 足引っぱられておぼれそうになったんだって is “I heard someone got pulled under by the leg and almost drowned”. Chiharu’s next line reports more: the teacher said they may have to close the pool, 閉鎖するしかないっていってた.
Aru returns to her classroom after club. Expecting the classroom to be empty, she’s singing a song about herself as she enters the room. There, she finds her friends idling away the time.
アル:
「なな 何で皆いんのよ！（誰もいないと思ってた！）」
“Wh- why is it that you all are here?! (I was thinking no one was here!)”
Aru walks into her classroom after club, singing about herself, and finds her friends there. She’d thought the room was empty, 誰もいないと思ってた. Sotoka explains with 師匠がアルを待つって, “Master said she’d wait for you”. Nothing follows って. The 言ってた is understood.
Insisting with って
って can also quote the speaker’s own words. 大丈夫だって！ means “I’m telling you, I’m fine”, as if repeating something the listener should have heard the first time. It comes out when someone keeps asking, or won’t take no for an answer.
A classmate shows off her new satchel from Meisho Daichi High School. Ran wants one for herself, so she heads down to Shibuya in search of a Meisho Daichi student who’ll give her one. She accidentally steals one, which she later ruminates on in her room. As she talks to herself about how her pride cannot abide stealing, her police officer parents burst into her room, asking what was stolen and who the suspect is.
蘭:
「何でもないって！！ びっくりさせんなよ もーーーー！」
“It's nothing!! Don't scare me like that! Seriously!!”
泰三:
「そ そうか スマン スマン…」
“Oh... okay. Sorry, sorry...”
清香:
「犯罪のニオイがするとつい…ね」
“When I smell a crime, I just can't help myself...”
Ran has been talking to herself in her room about the satchel she stole by accident. Her parents are both police officers, and they burst in wanting to know what was stolen and who the suspect is. 何でもない is “it’s nothing”, and って makes it “I said it’s nothing!”.
Reminding Someone with って言ったでしょ
言ったでしょ and 言っただろう mean “didn’t I tell you?”. With a quote in front, the speaker is reminding the listener of something they should already know.
Example 1 of 2: Scheduled to stay the night with 〜ことになっている
After a day at the beach, Hikari asks when someone is coming to pick everyone up. Shindou points at the house behind them. 泊まることになっている says the plan was already settled, and って言っただろう？ says he already told them. Nobody is going home tonight. They’re staying at his family’s villa.
Example 2 of 2: Visiting at every break with 〜ごとに
Example 2 of 2
With 言ってる, the reminder turns into a complaint, “I keep telling you”.
Due to concern about his sister’s ribbon, which seals away her need to attack people for their blood, Kenji takes every opportunity he can to check up on her at school.
キョーコ:
「休み時間ごとに来ないでって言ってるでしょー、そんなに心配しなくても大丈夫だって！」
“I'm telling you, you don't need to check up on me every break period. I'll be fine even without you worrying about me!”
ケンジ:
「いや… リボンが緩んだりしてないかと。」
“No, I'm just checking whether your ribbon's come loose.”
Kyouko’s brother, Kenji, checks on her at school every chance he gets. 休み時間ごとに来ないでって言ってるでしょー is “I keep telling you not to come every break!” The same line ends with 大丈夫だって！, the insisting って: “I’m telling you, I’m fine!”
Being Told with と言われる
To report something said to you, use 言われる, the receptive form of 言う. The speaker is the subject, and に marks who said it. Japanese reaches for this much more often than English uses “I was told”, because it keeps the speaker at the center of the story.
Takeo and Yamato go out on a date for Yamato’s birthday. They have a great time spending the day together, but when Yamato asks Takeo what his friend Sunakawa is doing, Takeo becomes silent. He says Suna helped him plan the date’s events, and Takeo gives her the tickets to the date’s finale. He tells Yamato to take a friend, because he needs to go be with Suna.
Takeo is on a birthday date with Yamato when he tells her that Sunakawa’s father is having surgery that afternoon. Takeo calls Sunakawa “Suna”. 砂川には marks Suna as the one who said it, and 来るな, “don’t come”, is what he said.
Cocoa takes a break from work to share some news with Chino. A customer told her she has a sister complex, シスター・コンプレックスだねって言われちゃった. ちゃった adds that it simply happened to her. Cocoa thinks the phrase sounds cool.
Takeo runs after a mother and her child to give them a shoe they dropped. Due to Takeo’s large size and loud steps, the mother and child get frightened and run from him. After he manages to return the dropped item, Takeo returns to his friends. Rinko remarks that the scene was like “A Bear in the Forest”. Sunakawa recalls the song.
砂川:
「あーイヤリング拾って追いかけるやつね」
“Ah, the one who picked up an earring and chased after.”
Takeo ran after a mother and child to return a shoe they dropped, and they fled from him in fright. Rinko compares it to the song about a bear in the forest. 熊だと思われたのか is “so they took me for a bear”. The receptive 思われる keeps Takeo at the center of the sentence.
Chii tries to hypnotize her mother using a coin on a string. When Chii gets sleepy instead, her mother suggests Chii’s hypnotized herself instead. As Chii lies down on the sofa for a nap, her mother gives the hypnotic suggestion that Chii will become a cat.
When Chii wakes later, she finds her father is home from work. But when he sees her, he asks why there’s a cat on the sofa.
Chii tried to hypnotize her mother and fell asleep instead, and her mother whispered that she would turn into a cat. When her father comes home, he asks why there’s a cat on the sofa. 猫だと思われている is “I’m being taken for a cat”. Her next line goes further: と思い込んでいる, “he’s convinced of it”.
Repeating Someone’s Word with って
When someone says a word that catches the listener’s attention, the listener can repeat it with って and ask about it.
Ayumu tries to throw a basketball into the basket, only to have it bounce back and hit her in the face. After waking in the infirmary, she learns from her friend that Luna carried her there. When Luna denies it, Ayumu says she would have been happy if he did.
Ayumu woke up in the infirmary after a basketball hit her in the face, and her friend says Luna carried her there. Luna denies it. Ayumu sighs that she would even have given him a reward. ご褒美って picks up her word, and どんな……？, “what kind…?”, shows Luna’s suddenly very interested.
Example 2 of 3: Coming to meet someone with 〜に来る
Example 2 of 3
〜ってどういう意味？, “what does … mean?”, uses the same って to ask about a word.
Syaro wants to know who misread her café’s flyer and brought everyone to her workplace. While Cocoa insists they only came to see her, Chino is stuck on one word, いかがわしい, “shady”. って marks it as the word she means, and どういう意味です？ asks what it means. Rize’s line is a quote, too. こんなことだろうと思った means “I figured it was something like this”.
Fujimiya was able to work around forgetting her friends every Monday by using a journal to record her time spent with Hase. After Fujimiya discovers she can remember Hase’s friend Kiryuu, Hase gets jealous and reacts poorly. The following Monday, Fujimiya arrives at school with no memory of Hase or her journal, and Hase isn’t able to regain her trust. After school, Kiryuu walks with Fujimiya. Without mentioning Fujimiya eating lunch with Hase each day, he asks about how she spent her lunches last week. She isn’t certain. Without mentioning that Fujimiya previously had forgotten her journal at her desk and classmates found it, Kiryuu questions her about the after-school event.
藤宮:
「あっ 確か桐生くん私の代わりに忘れ物を教室に取ってきてくれて…」
“Ah, right… Kiryuu, you went to the classroom and picked up my forgotten item in place of me, didn't you…?”
Fujimiya has lost her memories of the past week, and Kiryuu is walking her home. She recalls that he once fetched something she’d left in the classroom. Kiryuu knows it was her journal, and he wants to see what she remembers. その忘れ物って？ picks up her word, “that forgotten item?”, and leaves it to her to explain.
Names and Labels with と呼ぶ and という
呼ぶ, “call”, takes a name or title with と. 〜と呼んで is “call me…”, and 〜と呼ばれる is “be called…”.
Mr. Tanabe has proposed to Sanae’s older sister, who teaches at the same school. The next morning, Sanae greets him as ニーサン, “big brother”. 先生と呼べ is “call me Teacher”, and 呼べ is the plain imperative of 呼ぶ. 学校では limits the rule to school. What she calls him at home is another matter.
Chiya and Chino are about to play chess at a hot spring, and Chino sets her own stakes. If she wins, Cocoa has to call her big sister, お姉さんと呼んでもらう. と marks the title, and 呼ぶ is “call”. Cocoa wants to know why she’s been dragged in.
Akari encounters an older gentleman looking for a police box, so he can report his missing daughter and son-in-law. Akari offers to take him around and see if they can find the couple. Once they are reunited, the daughter thanks Akari for finding her father.
娘:
「迷子になった父の相手をするの大変でしたでしょ？」
“It must have been tough dealing with my dad when he got lost, right?”
Akari helped an old man search for his daughter and son-in-law, whom he thought were lost. Once they’re reunited, the daughter thanks Akari for putting up with her lost father. He objects with 迷子と言うなっ, “don’t call me lost!” と言う takes the label he won’t accept.
Example 4 of 5: A saved-up story with 〜ておく
Example 4 of 5
という, casual っていう, links a name to the kind of thing it names. The name comes first, and the noun after という says what it is.
A sleepover at Chino’s house has turned into a scary-story session, and Chiya has one she’s been saving. 切り裂きラビットっていう実話 is “a true story called The Slasher Rabbit”. The name comes first, and 実話 says what kind of thing it is.
Example 5 of 5: Keeping a museum from shutting down with 事件
Ran reads that the art museum where a murder happened will stay open after all. Mouri explains that citizens called for it. 存続させようという市民の声 is “citizens’ voices saying let’s keep it open”. という links what they said to 声, the noun it describes.
Introducing a Topic with っていうのは and って
っていうのは, formal というのは, means “the thing called”. It brings up a topic so the speaker can define or explain it.
Example 1 of 6: Dueling like in Ancient Rome with 古代
Li seems fired up over something with Sakura. Yamazaki suggests whatever the issue is be settled when they play badminton during that day’s physical education class. Li asks why things have to be settled via badminton.
山崎:
「知らないの？バドミントンっていうのはね 古代ローマから伝わる由緒正しい決闘方法でね」
“You don't know? Badminton is a time-honored method of dueling that has been passed down since ancient Rome.”
Yamazaki has suggested that Li and Sakura settle things over badminton in gym class. When Li asks why badminton, Yamazaki explains. バドミントンっていうのはね is “badminton, you see, is”. What follows is the history, a time-honored dueling method handed down from ancient Rome.
Example 2 of 6: Chinese history lesson on talismans with 中国
Sakura had to take a detour to get to class. She tells her friends at school about the shrine she saw along the way. Naoko says the talismans from there are popular, as they can grant wishes for things such as exams and romance.
山崎:
「お守りっていうのはね むかし 中国で守り札を袋にいれたのがはじまりらしいよ」
“You know, apparently good-luck charms began long ago in China, when people put protective talismans into bags.”
Naoko says the charms from a shrine Sakura passed are popular for wishes about exams and love. Yamazaki brings up the topic with お守りっていうのはね, “you know, good-luck charms…”, and explains how they began in ancient China. Naoko thinks it sounds true for once. Chiharu isn’t so sure.
Example 3 of 6: Experienced receiving a gold prize with 〜た＋ことがある
Cocoa boasts that she once won a gold prize for drawing. Rize heads off the obvious catch: 町内会の小学生低学年の部とかいうのはナシな, “none of this ‘neighborhood association, lower elementary division’ stuff”. とか makes the label vague, “something like”, and というのは makes it the topic. ナシ rules it out.
Example 4 of 6: Misappropriating the confessional with ネコババ
Example 4 of 6
Casual speech shortens っていうのは to just って. Like は, it marks what the rest of the sentence comments on. The difference is tone. って sounds casual, and the comment is often a reaction or a judgment, as in それって本当？, “is that true?”.
After Meimi makes her first appearance as a magical thief, her nun-in-training classmate Seira suggests the name Saint Tail. She adds that they can use the sealed confessional as a meeting room.
芽美:
「ちょっと それってざんげ室ネコババするんじゃ……！！」
“Hold up, isn't that misappropriating the confessional?”
Meimi has just made her debut as the thief Saint Tail, and her friend Seira, a nun in training, suggests they use the sealed confessional as a meeting room. それって points back at Seira’s idea, and Meimi’s comment is alarm: isn’t that pocketing the confessional? ネコババ means “pocketing something that isn’t yours”.
Example 5 of 6: A long-desired kaleidoscope with 万華鏡
Mamoru bought Usagi and Chibiusa kaleidoscopes at the carnival. Usagi’s キレイねえ 万華鏡って puts the comment first and the topic after it, as speech often does when the reaction can’t wait. In the usual order, it would be 万華鏡ってキレイねえ, “kaleidoscopes are so pretty”.
Example 6 of 6: Bothersome to try new things with 億劫
At dusk, Hanae takes the bus to the grocery store to buy ingredients for dinner. There she encounters Hiroto, doing the same on his way home from work. Hiroto says he rode his motorcycle today and can give Hanae a lift home. She refuses, as she’s never ridden on a motorcycle before.
Hiroto offers Hanae a ride home on his motorcycle, and she has never ridden one. She turns him down. 新しいことって, “new things”, is the topic, and 億劫なんだよ, “such a hassle”, is her judgment. この年になると, “once you’re my age”, gives the reason.
Saying What It Means with ってこと
ということ and casual ってこと turn a clause into “the fact that”. At the end of a sentence, ってことだ means “that means” or “so it’s”.
Example 1 of 6: A comet-viewing telescope with 望遠鏡
Asuka Jr. receives a challenge notice from Saint Tail, stating her intent to steal Graham Comet on Christmas Eve. One of his friends wonders how Saint Tail will steal a comet. Asuka Jr. thinks it over for a moment.
アスカ Jr.:
「これは 天文台の天体望遠鏡を盗むってことだ！！」
“That means stealing the observatory's telescope!!”
「このへんで彗星を見る方法はそれしかないからな！！」
“Since that's the only way to see a comet around here!!”
Saint Tail has sent Asuka Jr. a notice saying she’ll steal the Graham Comet on Christmas Eve. Asuka Jr. works it out that the observatory’s telescope is the only way to see a comet around here, so 望遠鏡を盗むってことだ, “that means she’ll steal the telescope”.
Example 2 of 6: Misseeing something as a ghost as the park lake with 〜ちゃう
After piano class, Naoko hurries home only to see a ghostly figure appear from within a lake at the park. She recalls the events to her friends at school.
桜:
「な…奈緒子ちゃん なにかを見間違っちゃったってことは…… (木とか電柱とか看板とか)」
“Na... Naoko, could it be that you ended up seeing something wrong...... (like a tree or a utility pole or a sign or something)?”
Naoko saw a ghostly figure rise out of a lake in the park, and she tells her friends at school. Sakura offers a hopeful explanation: 見間違っちゃったってことは…, “could it be that you saw something wrong?” She trails off, and her next line answers it: ないよね, “I guess not”.
Example 3 of 6: Want you to let me explain with 〜させてほしい
Takeo tries helping the girl who likes his friend Sunakawa. When Takeo receives a call from his own girlfriend, he realizes he’s alone with another girl.
猛男:
「すまん大和に事情説明させてほしい」
“Sorry, I'd like you to let me explain the situation to Yamato.”
Takeo has been helping Yukika, the girl who likes his friend Sunakawa. When his girlfriend, Yamato, calls, he realizes he’s alone with another girl. ゆきかちゃんが砂川を好きだってこと is “the fact that you like Suna”, and he asks permission to tell Yamato.
Police detective Yokomizo isn’t about to let Sasai, his prime murder suspect, leave. Sasai reminds the officer that he has photographic proof that he wasn’t near the victim at the time of the murder. He calls for Detective Mouri to back him up.
笹井:
「名探偵のあなたからもいってやってくださいよ。 この刑事がいかに無能かという事を…」
“You, the great detective, should tell him yourself. Just how incompetent this police detective is...”
Inspector Yokomizo won’t let Sasai, his prime suspect, leave. Sasai has photos that prove he was elsewhere, and he asks Mouri to back him up. いかに無能かという事 is “just how incompetent he is”. 事 turns the whole clause into the thing Mouri should tell him.
Example 5 of 6: According to Nostradamus with 〜によれば
Maruko learns about Nostradamus and his predictions from a classmate. She tells her family about it, leading to them watching a TV show about it that night.
アナウンサー:
「ノストラダムスの大予言によれば1999年７月に空から恐怖の大王が降りてきて」
“According to Nostradamus's great prophecy, in July 1999 a great king of terror will descend from the sky,”
Maruko’s family is watching a TV special about Nostradamus, and the announcer gives the prophecy: a king of terror will descend from the sky in July 1999. 滅亡するという事であります is a formal “which is to say, humanity will perish”. であります is the stiff copula of announcements and speeches.
Example 6 of 6: Sneaking sleeping pills in with 目を盗む
Example 6 of 6
ということは, “which means”, opens a conclusion drawn from what was just said.
As Ran sleeps, she’s carried to a sink filled with water and almost drowned. After, Conan considers the coffee Ran drank earlier must have been drugged, or else Ran would have fought back. Since Mrs. Yone, who prepared the coffee with Ran’s help, was with Kogoro at the time of the attack, Kogoro narrows the list of suspects to four who were out of sight while the coffee was being prepared.
小五郎:
「という事は、あなた方の中の誰かが米さんと蘭の目を盗んで睡眠薬を入れたとも考えられますな？」
“Considering that, isn't it possible one of you slipped past Mrs. Yone and Ran and put sleeping pills in?”
Someone carried a sleeping Ran to a sink full of water and nearly drowned her, so her coffee must have been drugged. Mrs. Yone, who made it with Ran’s help, was with Kogoro during the attack. Kogoro narrows the suspects to four, and という事は opens his conclusion: one of them could have slipped sleeping pills into the coffee.
