Quoting in Japanese: Report What People Said and Thought

Quoting: と marks what was said or thought

言っていました (was saying) is the usual way to pass on what someone told you.

Short answer: the particle と marks a quotation. Put someone’s exact words in 「」 and add と言いました (said). For reported speech, use the plain form without brackets: 行くと言っていました, “he said he’d go”. The same と carries thoughts and opinions with 思う (行くと思います, “I think he’ll go”) and names with という: 田中という人, “a person called Tanaka”.

Direct and indirect speech

Japanese has no tense shift in reported speech: the quoted verb stays in the tense the speaker used.

先生せんせいsenseithe teacherはwa(topic)「明日テストです」あしたテストです“ashita tesuto desu”“test tomorrow”とto(quote)言いましたいいましたiimashitasaid

Sensei wa “ashita tesuto desu” to iimashita.“The teacher said, “There’s a test tomorrow.””Why: Direct: exact words, polite です kept.

先生せんせいsenseithe teacherはwa(topic)明日あしたashitatomorrowテストtesutotestだdaisとto(quote)言いましたいいましたiimashitasaid

Sensei wa ashita tesuto da to iimashita.“The teacher said there’s a test tomorrow.”Why: Indirect: plain だ before と.

友達ともだちtomodachimy friendがga(subject)遅れるおくれるokureruwill be lateとto(quote)言っていましたいっていましたitte imashitawas saying

Tomodachi ga okureru to itte imashita.“My friend said she’d be late.”Why: Passing on a message: 言っていました.

と思う: I think

Plain form + と思います gives your opinion or a guess. It also softens statements, which is why Japanese uses it often.

という: called, named

という links a name or word to a noun: “a … called X”.

田中たなかTanakaTanakaというto iucalled人ひとhitopersonからkarafrom電話でんわdenwacallがga(subject)ありましたarimashitathere was

Tanaka to iu hito kara denwa ga arimashita.“There was a call from someone called Tanaka.”Why: という: you do not know this person.

これkorethisはwa(topic)日本語にほんごnihongoJapaneseでdein何なんnanwhatとto(quote)言いますかいいますかiimasu kasay?

Kore wa nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.“What is this called in Japanese?”Why: The key learner question.

「侘び寂び」わびさび“wabi-sabi”wabi-sabiというto iucalled言葉ことばkotobaword

“Wabi-sabi” to iu kotoba“the word “wabi-sabi””Why: という introduces a word you are talking about.

Casual quoting: って

In speech, と言っていた and と shrink to って.

田中さんたなかさんTanaka-sanTanaka来ないこないkonainot comingってtte(he says)

Tanaka-san, konai tte.“Tanaka says he’s not coming.”Why: って = と言っていた.

明日あしたashitatomorrow雨あめamerainだってdatteI hear

Ashita ame datte.“Apparently it’ll rain tomorrow.”Why: Noun + だって.

何なんnanwhatってtte(said)言ったいったittasaid

Nan tte itta?“What did you say?”Why: って replaces と.

Asking someone to pass on a message

と伝えてください (please tell them that…) and よろしく伝えてください (say hello for me).

Hearsay: らしい and そうだ

Both report information from others. そうだ is a neutral report; らしい suggests a rumour or inference.

Sentence	Meaning	Feel
ame ga furu sō desu	I hear it will rain	neutral report (forecast)
ame ga furu rashii	it seems it will rain	heard or inferred
ano mise wa takai rashii	that shop is apparently expensive	rumour
kare wa kekkon shita sō desu	I hear he got married	reported fact

Check yourself

Say each one in Japanese, then open the answer to check and hear it.

Tanaka said, “I’ll go.”
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Tanaka-san wa “ikimasu” to iimashita.Direct quote in 「」.
Tanaka said he will go.
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Tanaka-san wa iku to itte imashita.Indirect: plain form.
I think it will rain.
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Ame ga furu to omoimasu.
She says she’s not coming. (casual)
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Konai tte.って = と言っていた.

って: the casual と

In conversation, と and という often become って. It also introduces a topic: 日本語って難しい, “Japanese, it’s hard”.

田中さんたなかさんTanaka-sanTanaka来るくるkurucomingってtte(they say)

Tanaka-san kuru tte. · “Tanaka says he’s coming.”って at the end: “I hear…”.

本当ほんとうhontōreally誰だれdarewhoがga(subject)言ってたいってたittetawas sayingのno(question)

Hontō? Dare ga itteta no? · “Really? Who said so?”言ってた: casual 言っていた.

鈴木さんすずきさんSuzuki-sanSuzukiってtte(the one called)人ひとhitoperson

Suzuki-san tte hito. · “Someone called Suzuki.”って for という.