I hear, that is: 〜って
Sentence / Noun + って
って is the casual spoken version of と, という, というのは or そうだ: quotation, hearsay (〜だって), topic or definition.
In short
って is the Swiss army knife of casual speech. It replaces と in a quotation (行くって言ってた), means “I hear that” (明日は雨だって), sets up a topic you're about to comment on (京都って、いい町だね) or asks for a definition (おばんざいって何？). It belongs to conversation between people who are close, never to formal writing.
- 田中さん、明日は来られないって。たなかさん、あしたはこられないって。Tanaka says he can't come tomorrow.
- 京都って、本当にいい町だね。きょうとって、ほんとうにいいまちだね。Kyoto's a really lovely city, isn't it.
- 「おばんざい」って何？「おばんざい」ってなに？What are “obanzai”?
The basics
って is a contracted form of と, という, というのは or そうだ. In speech, Japanese people use it constantly. To understand it properly, just ask yourself which word it's standing in for: the meaning follows.
He said tomorrow's a day off.
- noun
- particle
- verb
- 母が早く帰ってこいって。ははがはやくかえってこいって。Mum says to come home quickly.
Four uses, four equivalents
At the end of a sentence, って on its own means “I hear, he said” (the verb 言っていた is understood). After a noun or a な-adjective, use だって in this sense (雨だって). Before a noun, って also replaces という: 田中って人, “someone called Tanaka”.
| Use | Equivalent | Example |
|---|---|---|
| quotation | と | 行くって言ってた |
| hearsay | そうだ | 明日は雨だって |
| topic being commented on | は・というのは | 京都って、いい町だね |
| definition, question | というのは | おばんざいって何？ |
- 田中って人から電話があったよ。たなかってひとからでんわがあったよ。Someone called Tanaka phoned.
- あの店、すごくおいしいんだって。あのみせ、すごくおいしいんだって。I hear that place is really good.
Strictly casual
って only exists in relaxed speech, with friends or family. In a work email, an assignment or with a customer, go back to the full forms: と言っていました, そうです, というのは.
| Casual | Polite or written |
|---|---|
| 明日は雨だって | 明日は雨だそうです |
| 行くって言ってた | 行くと言っていました |
| おばんざいって何？ | おばんざいというのは何ですか |
- 部長は明日来られないそうです。ぶちょうはあしたこられないそうです。I understand the manager can't come tomorrow.
- 田中さんは明日行くと言っていました。たなかさんはあしたいくといっていました。Tanaka said he would go tomorrow.
Common mistakes
- Writing it in a formal email or saying it to a superior: choose と, そうです or というのは.
- Forgetting だ after a noun in the “I hear” sense: 明日は雨だって, not 明日は雨って.
- Thinking って is always a quotation: at the start of a sentence, after a topic, it just means “as for”.
7 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 N3 point is on the Keihan Line (Media and communication) of the Kyoto lines.