言う

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 彼は何と言いましたか。▶ —
   What did he say?
2. 日本語で「ありがとう」と言います。▶ —
   In Japanese you say "arigatou".

Collocations

Mnemonic

言う iu — a godan verb, the core verb that carries speech and quotation. 「ありがとう」と言いました — the と binds the quotation marks and raises a quoted clause. On paper it is written いう, but in the mouth it often slips into ゆう. ~という pins a name-tag — 田中という人, "a person called Tanaka." Kanji-reading kin: 言 reads Korean 'eon' (言語), Mandarin yán.

Quick check

1. "How do you say this in Japanese?" — natural Japanese?

   • これは日本語で何と言いますか (correct, ~で言語)
   • 日本語に (wrong direction)
   • 何を言いますか (= "what will you say")
   • 何と言うか (lacks polite が)