Speaking of: 〜といえば・〜というと・〜といったら
N + といえば／というと／といったら
N + といえば／というと／といったら: picking up a topic and saying what it evokes. といったら also stresses an extreme emotion, というと？ asks for clarification, AといえばAだが half-concedes.
In short
These three constructions pick up a topic to say what immediately comes to mind: “Nagoya? That makes you think of…”, “speaking of…”. They're almost interchangeable in this sense, but each has a use of its own: といったら is also used to stress an extreme emotion (“the cold!”), and というと can ask for clarification (“meaning?”).
- 名古屋といえば、やっぱりみそかつだ。なごやといえば、やっぱりみそかつだ。When you think of Nagoya, misokatsu springs to mind straight away.
- 「来週、京都に行くんです。」「京都というと、紅葉の季節ですね。」「らいしゅう、きょうとにいくんです。」「きょうとというと、こうようのきせつですね。」“I'm going to Kyoto next week.” “Kyoto… it's autumn-leaf season, then!”
- その夜の寒さといったら、言葉にできないほどだった。そのよるのさむさといったら、ことばにできないほどだった。The cold that night — it was beyond words.
The basics
You quote a topic (often raised by the other person) with と + いう (“say”), then move on to what it evokes: a town's speciality, a season's symbol, an association of ideas. English says “speaking of…”, “when you think of…”, “X makes you think of…”.
It's a very lively construction in speech, also found in light writing: magazines, blogs, guidebooks.
When you think of Nagoya, misokatsu springs to mind straight away.
- noun
- grammatical form
- other
- 夏といえば、やっぱり花火ですね。なつといえば、やっぱりはなびですね。Summer makes you think of fireworks straight away.
Three forms, three specialities
For a simple association of ideas, the three forms are equivalent, with といえば the most common. But each has a use the others don't.
| Form | Its own use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| といえば | association of ideas; そういえば (“by the way”) | 名古屋といえばみそかつ |
| というと | asking for clarification: というと？ | 「というと？」「予算が足りないんです」 |
| といったら | extreme emotion, often left hanging | その寒さといったら… |
- 「この計画には一つ問題があります。」「というと？」「このけいかくにはひとつもんだいがあります。」「というと？」“There's one problem with this plan.” “Meaning?”
- そういえば、田中さんは元気かな。そういえば、たなかさんはげんきかな。By the way, I wonder how Tanaka's doing.
といったら: an overflowing emotion
After a noun of quality (寒さ, 暑さ, うれしさ, 美しさ), といったら announces an extreme degree, reinforced by what follows: 〜ほどだ, たまらない, or trailing dots. It's an expressive, rather spoken construction; in a neutral text, it isn't used for a cold association.
- 合格したときのうれしさといったら、言葉では言えないほどだった。ごうかくしたときのうれしさといったら、ことばではいえないほどだった。When I passed, my joy was beyond words.
AといえばAだが, and といっても
By repeating the same word, AといえばAだが means “it's A, I suppose, but…”: a half-concession. Don't confuse it with といっても (N3), “even though you might say…”: 社長といっても、社員は三人だけだ (“he's a boss, all right, but he's only got three employees”).
| Construction | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A といえば | speaking of A | 京都といえばお寺 |
| A といえば A だが | A, I suppose, but… | 便利といえば便利だが |
| A といっても | you might say A, but actually… | 社長といっても社員は三人 |
- この部屋は、広いといえば広いが、駅から遠い。このへやは、ひろいといえばひろいが、えきからとおい。This flat is spacious, admittedly, but it's far from the station.
Common mistakes
- Using といったら for a simple association in a neutral text: it carries an emotional charge (“what a…!”).
- Mixing up といえば (“speaking of”) and といっても (“even though you might say…”).
- Taking というと？ as “they say?”: it's a request for clarification, “meaning?”.
8 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the JR Chūō Line (Nature and the seasons) of the Nagoya lines.