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〜という〜 called / named: Meaning & Examples

to iu · JLPT N4

JLPT N424 textsQuiz readyStudy card

〜という〜 means “called / named”. It is a JLPT N4 pattern: below are its construction, the nuances that trip learners up, and the sentences where real Japanese writers use it.

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一枚いちまいStudy card

A free one-page study card for 〜という〜 (called / named), JLPT N4: what it means, how it attaches, 3 example sentences with furigana, and the nuances that trip learners up. Read it right here, or take the PDF or PNG with you. We never ask for an email for this card.

The 〜という〜 study card: one A4 page holding the pattern, its JLPT N4 meaning, the construction rules, 3 example sentences with furigana, and the nuance notes.
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All 21 JLPT N4 grammar cards

How 〜という〜 works

Beyond naming, という also turns whole clauses into noun modifiers ("the rumor that…", "the news that…") and appears in defining phrases like 〜というのは and 〜ということ.

構文こうぶんConstruction

  • Name + という + Noun

    ポチという犬を飼っている。 — I have a dog called Pochi.

  • Clause + という + Noun

    彼が会社を辞めるという噂を聞いた。 — I heard a rumor that he is quitting the company.

  • 〜というのは (defining／explaining)

    「侘び寂び」というのは日本の美意識だ。 — "Wabi-sabi" is a Japanese sense of beauty.

例文れいぶんIn a sentence

A shop called "Tanuki" opened in front of the station.
Do you know the author Miyazawa Kenji?
Word arrived that tomorrow is a day off.

注意点ちゅういてんNuances

  • Kanji と言う is reserved for actual speech ("said that…").
  • Use という to introduce a name the listener may not know; once it is familiar, drop it — 東京という町 sounds odd because everyone knows Tokyo.
  • In casual speech という contracts to って or っていう: ポチって犬 = ポチという犬. You will meet って constantly in dialogue-heavy fiction and manga.
  • In the naming and noun-modifying uses nobody is literally speaking — という is a grammatical label, not a report of someone’s words.
How 〜という〜 differs from similar patterns
  • と — The plain quote particle と marks what someone actually says or thinks (〜と言いった, 〜と思おもう); という as a set phrase names or defines a noun without any real act of saying.

練習れんしゅうYour Turn

Tip

Introduce a book, dish, or place from your country to a Japanese friend using "Name + という + noun".

〜という〜 (called / named) in real sentences

Each one is quoted from a published Japanese text in this library and links to the story it came from. Some use older spellings, or break off where the sentence carried on. They are transcribed exactly as their authors wrote them.

— from Goose's Birthday (N4)

— from The Lotus Princess (N2)

— from Tokyo Bay Monster Tales (N2)

— from My Expanding Face (N2)

確認かくにんSelf-check

Practise 〜という〜: fill in the blank

4 sentences taken from real Japanese texts, with the grammar removed. Pick what belongs in the gap.

Question 1 of 4

  1. ストロボダインblank新受信機が大分おおげさに吹聴してあったようですね。

    Answer: という — from The Broken Variable Capacitor (N1)

  2. 殺人鬼権六blank男だ。

    Answer: という — from The Tengu Rock Murderer (N1)

  3. 南昌に彭徳孚blank秀才があった。

    Answer: という — from The Lotus Princess (N2)

  4. それはエビス鮫blankのである。

    Answer: という — from Tokyo Bay Monster Tales (N2)

Read the texts these came from

Appears in 24 of 367 texts in our library.

蔵書ぞうしょThe texts

24 texts in the library use 〜という〜

Free to read in full. Furigana over every kanji, a dictionary on any word you tap, and an English breakdown of each sentence.

ろくろ首 cover Read ろくろ首 The Long-Necked Monster 小泉 八雲 51 min read · Short Story がちょうの　たんじょうび cover Read がちょうの　たんじょうび Goose's Birthday 新美 南吉 9 min read · Short Story くさい たこ cover Read くさい たこ The Stinky Octopus Yomimaru 1 min read · Short Story カイダイ cover Read カイダイ Kaidai 平山 千代子 11 min read · Short Story 「の」の字の世界 cover Read 「の」の字の世界 The World of 'No' 佐藤 春夫 12 min read · Short Story 平山婆 cover Read 平山婆 The Old Woman of Hirayama 田中 貢太郎 10 min read · Short Story 四十不惑 cover Read 四十不惑 Forty and Unconfused 佐々木 邦 87 min read · Short Story 荷花公主 cover Read 荷花公主 The Lotus Princess 田中 貢太郎 57 min read · Short Story 天狗岩の殺人魔 cover Read 天狗岩の殺人魔 The Tengu Rock Murderer 山本 周五郎 61 min read · Short Story 東京湾怪物譚 cover Read 東京湾怪物譚 Tokyo Bay Monster Tales 佐藤 垢石 25 min read · Short Story 迷子ノジヤガイモ cover Read 迷子ノジヤガイモ The Lost Potato 村山 籌子 5 min read · Short Story 魔の電柱 cover Read 魔の電柱 The Demon Pole 田中 貢太郎 3 min read · Short Story
Show the other 12 texts
母親に憑る霊 cover Read 母親に憑る霊 The Spirit Possessing the Mother 田中 貢太郎 8 min read · Short Story 容貌 cover Read 容貌 My Expanding Face 太宰 治 6 min read · Article オホサウヂ cover Read オホサウヂ The Big Cleaning 村山 籌子 8 min read · Short Story 親孝行 cover Read 親孝行 Filial Piety 牧野 信一 20 min read · Short Story 人を呪わば cover Read 人を呪わば The Curse 国枝 史郎 20 min read · Short Story 女仙 cover Read 女仙 The Female Immortal 芥川 竜之介 8 min read · Short Story 寒さ cover Read 寒さ Cold 芥川 竜之介 28 min read · Short Story 壊れたバリコン cover Read 壊れたバリコン The Broken Variable Capacitor 海野 十三 79 min read · Short Story ハナとタマシヒ cover Read ハナとタマシヒ Hana and the Soul 平山 千代子 25 min read · Short Story カタツムリノ　ウタ cover Read カタツムリノ　ウタ The Snail's Song 新美 南吉 3 min read · Short Story 一緒に歩く亡霊 cover Read 一緒に歩く亡霊 The Ghost That Walks Together 田中 貢太郎 25 min read · Short Story 小夜の中山夜啼石 cover Read 小夜の中山夜啼石 The Night-Crying Stone of Sayo no Nakayama 岡本 綺堂 45 min read · Short Story

解説かいせつBackground

Where this 〜という〜 explanation comes from

〜という〜 sits at JLPT N4 in the 302-point taxonomy every text in this library is tagged against. Each text is read for the patterns it contains, which is what lets this page list every text that uses 〜という〜 and pull its example sentences out of them.

The example sentences were not written to demonstrate the rule. They are quoted from published Japanese texts in this library (Goose's Birthday and The Lotus Princess among them), and each one links back to the story it came from, so you can read the sentence where it actually happened.

質問しつもんQuestions

〜という〜: questions & answers

When do I need という, and when can I drop it?

Use という to introduce a name you assume the listener does not know: 「余市」という町 ("a town called Yoichi"). Once the name is familiar or famous to both of you, drop it — 東京という町 sounds strange because no one needs Tokyo explained.

Should という be written in kanji as と言う?

In the naming and noun-modifying uses it is conventionally written in hiragana. Kanji と言う is kept for literal speech, as in 「はい」と言った ("said yes"). Mixing them is not a grammar error, but hiragana という is what you will see in print.

What does って mean — is it the same as という?

In casual speech って stands in for both the quote particle と and という: ポチって犬 = ポチという犬. It is everywhere in conversation and manga, so reading dialogue-heavy stories on Yomimaru is a quick way to get used to seeing both forms.

Is there a printable 〜という〜 cheat sheet?

Yes. A free one-page 〜という〜 (called / named) study card sits at the top of this page, as both a PDF and a PNG. It carries the JLPT N4 meaning, how the pattern attaches, 3 example sentences with furigana, and the nuances learners get wrong. You do not need an account or an email address to download it.

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