Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 2: 14/22

と言(い)うのは~ Known as ~ is, ~ Called ~ is, ~ Means ~, Because

Structure

Phrase + というのは(1) + (Definition) Phrase(2)

(1) とは、って
(2) (Reason) Phrase

Details

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About というのは

というのは is a phrase that combines the case marking particle と, the う - Verb 言(い)う, and the nominalizing particle combination のは. Together, they are usually translated as 'the ~ known as ~ is ~', or 'the ~ called ~ is ~'. Sometimes, it can even simply be '~ means ~'. In essence, というのは is just a way to turn an entire phrase into a noun, before explaining that noun further. This explanation of (A) will either be to give a definition of it, or to give a reason for it.

To use というのは, attach it to the end of a phrase that you would like to indicate as being something that will be explained further '(A)', and then follow it with your definition/reason, '(B)'.

Caution

Unlike というのは, which is mainly used to strongly present facts, or highlight points of discussion, replacement of は with the adverbial particle も can be used either as a rebuttal or as an extension of the original statement. This is when someone wants to show that (B) has equal weight when compared to (A). It may also be used to give the reason or cause for (A).

Caution

というのは is sometimes used at the beginning of a new sentence, when the speaker wants to add extra information about what has already been said. In these situations, the translation is similar to 'what I mean to say is ~', or 'because of that, ~'.

Caution

というのは is regularly abbreviated as とは, or って. This can be a little bit hard to identify in casual speech, but the '(B) explains (A)' concept will still almost always apply, so should be identified that way.

Examples

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    雪(ゆき)というのは、自然(しぜん)現象(げんしょう)です。

    (The thing called) Snow is a natural phenomenon.

    人生(じんせい)というのは儚(はかな)いものだな。

    (The thing known as) Life is such a fleeting thing, isn't it?

    働(はたら)くというのは大変(たいへん)なことだ。

    (The thing known as) work is a hard thing.

    子供(こども)というのはかわいいものだな。

    (The thing known as) Children are cute.

    習慣(しゅうかん)というのは恐(おそ)ろしいものだ。

    (The thing known as) Habit is such a scary thing.

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というのは – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (6 in total)

  • nekoyama

    nekoyama

    いう is a verb, so という modifies nouns like in …という言い方は… in the second sentence, where the meaning ends up being an “let’s meet again if we get the chance” kind of 言い方.

    というのは is the same thing but except a normal noun, there’s の as a stand-in. The examples you posted have the exact same structure: descriptionというthingはcomment on that thing. In one case thing is 言い方 and in the other it’s の.

    という modifies a following noun, but that alone isn’t enough to differentiate because the comment after というのは could also start with a noun. There also are some other grammar points that look similar like ということ. But the questions that want というのは tend to say “the thing known as” etc. When it says that even the “thing” part is missing, you know you still need to write something that represents “thing”, which is what the の does.

  • ljoekelsoey

    ljoekelsoey

    Following on from @nekoyama’s explanation, here’s how the use of both will affect a sentence.

    こめというのは日本の主食物。
    (The thing called) Rice is the staple food of Japan
    In this sentence, the subject is The thing called Rice.

    こめという日本の主食物（はとても美味しい。)
    Rice, the staple food of Japan, (is very tasty.)
    In this sentence, the subject is Rice, the staple food of Japan.

  • dom1911

    dom1911

    I am interested in differentiating the casual use of this grammar point って from the casual use of は (also being って), how do I tell them apart?

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