Saying and thinking
と言う, と思う and って.
と marks what is said, thought, heard or written. It comes after the quote, followed by a verb such as 言う "say", 思う "think" or 聞く "ask, hear".
Direct and indirect quotes
A direct quote gives the exact words inside 「」. An indirect quote has no 「」 and ends in a plain form. Either way the quote keeps its own tense: Japanese says "he said he will come", not "would come".
- Tanaka-san wa "ohayō" to iimashita.Mr. Tanaka said, "Good morning."
- Tanaka-san wa ashita kuru to iimashita.Mr. Tanaka said he would come tomorrow.
In an indirect quote, nouns and な-adjectives keep だ: 学生だと言った "said he was a student".
Thinking: と思う
A plain form + と思う gives your opinion or guess. For someone else's thoughts, use と思っている. For "I don't think", Japanese usually puts the negative inside: 高くないと思う "I don't think it's expensive".
- Kono eiga wa omoshiroi to omoimasu.I think this film is interesting.
- Ashita wa ame da to omoimasu.I think it'll rain tomorrow.
って in casual speech
In casual speech, って replaces と, and at the end of a sentence it can stand for "they say" on its own.
- Tanaka-san, ashita kuru tte.Mr. Tanaka says he's coming tomorrow.
Naming: という
と言う also names things. Before a noun, という means "called" or "named".
- Kore wa nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.How do you say this in Japanese?
- Yamada to iu hito kara denwa ga arimashita.There was a call from someone called Yamada.
Asking and hearing: と聞く
聞く with と means "ask" or "hear". と聞いた is a common way to pass on news: "I heard that". An indirect question ends in か instead of と: 何時に始まるか "what time it starts".
- Sensei ni "kore wa nan desu ka" to kikimashita.I asked the teacher, "What is this?"
- Tanaka-san ga kekkon shita to kikimashita.I heard that Mr. Tanaka got married.
- Nanji ni hajimaru ka shitte imasu ka.Do you know what time it starts?
Cards from this guide
10 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Longer sentences cards.
What does と mark before verbs like 言う (say) and 思う (think)?
The quote: what is said, thought, heard or written.
What tense does an indirect quote keep, as in 'he said he would come'?
The tense of the original words: 来る, not 来た.
What does a noun or な-adjective keep before と in a quote, as in 'said he was a student'?
だ: 学生だと言った.
How do you give your opinion, 'I think…', in Japanese?
Plain form + と思います.
Where does the negative usually go in 'I don't think…'?
Inside the quote: 高くないと思う.
What does って do in casual speech?
It replaces the quoting と, and at a sentence's end it means 'they say'.
What does という mean before a noun, as in 山田という人?
'Called' or 'named'.
How do you ask 'How do you say this in Japanese' using 言う (say)?
これは日本語で何と言いますか。
What does a plain-form statement + と聞きました mean?
'I heard that…'.
と or か: which ends an indirect question like 'what time it starts'?
か: 何時に始まるか.