言う

Japanese
Kanji in this term
言
い
Grade: 2
kun’yomi
Alternative spellings
謂う
云う (literary)

Etymology

/ipu/ → /iɸu/ → /*iwu/ → /iu/ → /juː/

From Old Japanese,[1] from Proto-Japonic *ipu. Compare Korean 입 (ip, “mouth”).

Medial /p/ regularly changed from [p] → [ɸ] → [w]. Japanese never distinguished between /wu/ and /u/, so that automatically becomes [u]. The /w/ only surfaces in the negative form of iwanai, where the phoneme /wa/ exists. Surface forms /iwimasu/ and /iwemasu/ automatically became /iimasu/ and /iemasu/ since Japanese no longer distinguished /wi, we/ from /i, e/.

Pronunciation
  • (Tokyo) ゆー [yùú] (Heiban – [0])[2]
  • IPA(key): [jɯ̟ᵝː]
  • Audio(file)
  • Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of "言う"
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Terminal (終止形)
Attributive (連体形)		 言う いう [ìú]
Imperative (命令形) 言え いえ [ìé]
Key constructions
Passive 言われる いわれる [ìwárérú]
Causative 言わせる いわせる [ìwásérú]
Potential 言える いえる [ìérú]
Volitional 言おう いお​ー [ìóꜜò]
Negative 言わない いわない [ìwánáí]
Negative perfective 言わなかった いわな​かった [ìwánáꜜkàttà]
Formal 言います いいま​す [ìímáꜜsù]
Perfective 言った いった [ìttá]
Conjunctive 言って いって [ìtté]
Hypothetical conditional 言えば いえ​ば [ìéꜜbà]

Verb

言(い)う or 言(ゆ)う • (iu or yuu) ←いふ (ifu)?transitive godan (stem 言(い)い (ii), past 言(い)った (itta))

  1. to say, to tell somebody
    • c. 762, Shōsōin Man'yōgana Monjo:
      和可夜之奈比乃 可波利爾波 於保末之末須 美奈美乃末知奈流奴乎 宇氣與止 於保止己可都可佐乃比止伊布 之可流可由恵爾 序禮宇氣牟比止良 久流末毛太之米弖 末都利伊禮之米太末布日 與禮良毛伊太佐牟 之可毛己乃波古美於可牟毛 阿夜布可流 可由恵爾 波夜久末可利太末布日之 於保己可ツ可佐奈比氣奈波 比止乃太氣太可比止 □己止波宇氣都流
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • c. 890, Taketori Monogatari (page 7)
      「おのが生(な)さぬ子(こ)なれば、心(こころ)にも従(じゅう)はずなんある」と言(い)ひて、月(つき)日(ひ)過(す)ぐす。
      “Onoga nasanu ko nareba, kokoro ni mo jū hazu nan aru” to ihite, tsukihi sugusu.
      ‘Since I am not the one who birthed the child, I cannot do whatever I wish,’ he said as days went by.
    • c. 905, Ise Monogatari (chapter 6, page 84)
      「あなや」といひけれど、神鳴(かみな)るさはぎにえ聞(き)かざりけり。
      “Anaya” to ihi keredo, kami naru sahagi ni e kikazarikeri.
      He called ‘Anaya,’ but it resounded like the gods crying out.
    アリスは私(わたし)に休(やす)みたいと言(い)った。
    Arisu wa watashi ni yasumitai to itta.
    Alice said to me that she wants to rest.
    私(わたし)が言(い)うようにしなさい。
    Watashi ga iu yō ni shinasai.
    Do as I tell you.
    彼(かれ)は変(へん)だと言(い)われた。
    Kare wa hen da to iwareta.
    He was told that he was strange.
    一(ひと)つ言(い)っていい？
    Hitotsu itte ii?
    Can I just say one thing?
  2. to call, to name, to give a name
    • c. 890, Taketori Monogatari (page 3)
      いまは昔(むかし)、竹取(たけとり)の翁(おきな)といふもの有(あり)けり。
      Ima wa mukashi, Taketori no Okina to iu mono arikeri.
      Long ago now, there was one known as Taketori no Okina.
    この動(どう)物(ぶつ)は日(に)本(ほん)語(ご)で何(なん)と言(い)いますか。
    Kono dōbutsu wa nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.
    What do you call this animal in Japanese?
    ピリオドは、stop(ストップ)やfullstop(フルストップ)ともいい、平(へい)叙(じょ)文(ぶん)・命(めい)令(れい)文(ぶん)の終(お)わりに付(つ)ける。
    Piriodo wa, sutoppu ya furu sutoppu to mo ii, heijobun meireibun no owari ni tsukeru.
    A period, also called a stop or full stop, attaches to the end of a declarative or imperative sentence.
  3. to cry, to call, to make a noise (such as an animal)
    ニャーニャー言(い)う猫(ねこ)
    nyānyā iu neko
    a mewing cat

Usage notes

As a transitive verb, this can take the usual accusative particle を (o) after the object of the verb. However, it is much more common to see this with the quotative particle と (to) instead.

Compared to other verbs such as 喋(しゃべ)る (shaberu), 話(はな)す (hanasu) and 語(かた)る (kataru), which refer specifically to speaking, this verb is abstract, and sometimes used like a copula, as in そういう, ああいう, こういう, っていうこと.[3]

Idioms
Idioms

Conjugation
Conjugation of "言う" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective") 言わ いわ iwa
Ren’yōkei ("continuative") 言い いい ii
Shūshikei ("terminal") 言う いう iu
Rentaikei ("attributive") 言う いう iu
Kateikei ("hypothetical") 言え いえ ie
Meireikei ("imperative") 言え いえ ie
Key constructions
Passive 言われる いわれる iwareru
Causative 言わせる
言わす		 いわせる
いわす		 iwaseru
iwasu
Potential 言える いえる ieru
Volitional 言おう いおう iō
Negative 言わない いわない iwanai
Negative continuative 言わず いわず iwazu
Formal 言います いいます iimasu
Perfective 言った いった itta
Conjunctive 言って いって itte
Hypothetical conditional 言えば いえば ieba
  • The perfective may also be 言(ゆ)うた (yūta).
  • The conjunctive may also be 言(ゆ)うて (yūte).
Classical conjugation of "言ふ" (ハ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形) 言はいはifa
Continuative (連用形) 言ひいひifi
Terminal (終止形) 言ふいふifu
Attributive (連体形) 言ふいふifu
Realis (已然形) 言へいへife
Imperative (命令形) 言へいへife
Key constructions
Negative 言はずいはずifazu
Contrasting conjunction 言へどいへどifedo
Causal conjunction 言へばいへばifeba
Conditional conjunction 言はばいはばifaba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge) 言ひきいひきifiki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge) 言ひけりいひけりifikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action) 言ひついひつifitu
Perfect tense (natural event) 言ひぬいひぬifinu
Perfect-continuative tense 言へり
言ひたり		いへり
いひたり		iferi
ifitari
Volitional 言はむいはむifamu

Synonyms

References
  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 精選版 日本国語大辞典 [Selected edition: unabridged Japanese language dictionary] (in Japanese), Shogakukan, 2005
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