Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 5: 13/22

から()うとSpeaking in terms of, From the point of view of

The preceding noun cannot identify a person. However, Personの立場 + からいうと/からいって/からいえば are allowed.

Structure

Noun + から()うと(1)

(1)から()えばから()って

Details

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About から言うと

からいうと (appearing with or without kanji) is a phrase in Japanese that is used to express a particular viewpoint or standpoint from which some type of evaluation, conclusion, or opinion can be drawn. The と that appears here is one of the assumption uses of this particle, meaning that から()えば may also be used.

からいうと will always follow a noun (or noun phrase), before the (B) part of that same sentence will describe some kind of evaluation/opinion/etc. This structure closely reflects phrases like 'speaking in terms of (A), (B)', or 'what can be drawn from (A) is that (B)'.

Occasonally, the use of particles such as と or may be skipped entirely, with から()って being used instead.

Caution

'Name + からいうと' may not be used with this expression, as a person is not a 'situation'. However, it is perfectly ok to use something like 'name の 立場(たちば)からいうと', as this highlights a specific situation that the said person is in.

  • タクミから()うと後輩(こうはい)タケシ(くん)(つぎ)試合(しあい)()てそうなの? (Unnatural)
    Speaking as Takumi, do you think your kouhai, Takeshi-kun can win in the next competition?
  • タクミ立場(たちば)からいうと後輩(こうはい)タケシ(くん)(つぎ)試合(しあい)()てそうなの? (Natural)
    Takumi, speaking from your position, do you think you kouhai, Takeshi-kun is going to win at the next competition?
  • サトミ視点(してん)からいうとあの(ひと)たちは採用(さいよう)ない(ほう)がいいという(こと)ですか? (Natural)
    Satomi, from your point of view, are you saying that we should not recruit those people?

Caution

Due to からいうと regularly highlighting some sort of 'overall situation', it will not be used with momentary/visual things. In these cases, while not strictly incorrect, it may sound quite unnatural to a native speaker.

  • (いえ)レイアウトから()うとこの(いえ)は30年前(ねんまえ)()てられた(いえ)(おも)。 (Not incorrect, but a little unnatural)
    Speaking from the layout of this house, I think it was built 30 years ago.

A more appropriate choice here would be something like から()ると, as this can be used to make purely visual assessments.

Examples

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    法律(ほうりつ)から()うと、それは違反(いはん)です。

    Speaking in terms of the law, that is a crime.

    結論(けつろん)から()うと失敗(しっぱい)です。

    Speaking in terms of results, it is a failure.

    値段(ねだん)から()うと、このコーヒーは(たか)すぎるよ。

    Speaking in terms of price, this coffee is too expensive.

    物価(ぶっか)から()うと、この地域(ちいき)()みやすいですね。

    Speaking in terms of prices in general, this region is easy to live in.

    景色(けしき)から()うと、あの(やま)最高(さいこう)だよ。

    Speaking in terms of scenery, that mountain is the best.

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から言うと – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (4 in total)

  • Daru

    Daru

    While its true that both of these grammar points can mean ‘in terms of’, there’s a few differences between them. からいうと can be used to voice your opinion on a particular subject, whereas において just establishes that something is related.

    において while not being ‘stiff’ or academic grammar, it is more formal than からいうと and pretty much never used in spoken Japanese, so the tone wouldn’t match in the example sentence.

    Hope this helps!

  • KabKab

    KabKab

    Just in the process of learning this grammar and when reading I was wondering whether the “と” in " からと()って" is a typo?

    Occasonally, the use of particles such as と or ば may be skipped entirely, with からと()って being used instead.

    There was no other instance of “からと” in the entirety of the grammar point.

  • Asher

    Asher

    Hi there! Thanks for the report. This was definitely a mistake. It should have said から言って, so I have just fixed it. Hope you have a great day!

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