Just like when you tell a story in English, when you tell a story in Japanese, a big part of that will be telling your listener what someone said. In grammar, this is known as reported speech. When you quote someone else, there are two main ways to do it:
A direct quotation is used to report exactly what somebody said, as in:
Tom said, "I will study today."
An indirect quotation is used to report what someone said without using their exact words, as in:
Tom said that he would study today.
In this post, we'll go over how to use both kinds of reported speech in Japanese. While there are some similarities with English, there are also some pretty big differences! Ready to have a look? Let's dive in!
To provide a direct quotation of someone's words in Japanese follow these steps:
put their exact words in quotation marks, which look like this: 「…」
attach the quotation marker と[to] to the end of the quote
end the sentence with the verb 言う[iu](to say).
If you want to include the name of the person you're quoting, you can include them as the subject of the sentence, before the quote, marked by by は[wa] or が[ga], like this:
Speaker + は/が
「Quote」*
と
to
言う
iu
毎朝私が家を出る時、母は「車に気をつけて」と言います。
Maiasa watashi ga ie o deru toki, haha wa “kuruma ni ki o tsukete” to iimasu.
When I leave the house in the morning, my mom always says, “Watch out for cars.”
The basic structure is pretty simple, right? Now, let's go through some special use cases and tricks that will help you use direct quotes as naturally as possible!
The tense of 言う[iu] can change to reflect when the person you're quoting spoke.
日本人はご飯を食べる時に「いただきます」と言います。
Nihonjin wa gohan o taberu toki ni, "itadakimasu" to iimasu.
Japanese people say, "itadakimasu" before they eat.
田中さんが「ちょっと来てくれませんか」と言っていますよ。
Tanaka san ga “Chotto kite kuremasen ka” to itte imasu yo.
Mr. Tanaka is saying, “Can you come (here)?”
When talking about what someone said in the past, we generally put the te-iru form of 言う[iu] into the past tense: 言っていた[itte ita](said)
母が「今日の晩ご飯はカレーにしようかな」と言っていた。
Haha ga “kyō no ban gohan wa karē ni shiyō kana” to itte ita.
My mom said, “I guess I’ll make curry for dinner tonight.”
When you take the perspective of the speaker, which is common in storytelling, you can use the plain past tense (-ta form) of 言う[iu]: 言った[itta](said).
ある日、美樹が会社に着くと、めずらしく涼太が早く来ていた。美樹は「早いね」と言った。
Aru hi, Miki ga kaisha ni tsuku to, mezurasiku Ryōta ga hayaku kiteita. Miki wa “Hayai ne” to itta.
One day, when Miki arrived at work, Ryota was unusually early. Miki said, “You’re early.”
To ask what someone said, you can replace the quotation with the question word, 何[nan](what).
日本では、家に帰った時、何と言いますか。
Nihon de wa, ie ni kaetta toki, nan to iimasu ka.
In Japan, what do you say after you get home?
「ただいま」と言います。
“Tadaima” to iimasu.
We say, “I’m home.”
When quoting a respected or high-status person, you should use the verb おっしゃる[ossharu], which is the respectful form of 言う[iu].
私のピアノの先生はいつも「毎日の練習が大事です」とおっしゃいます。
Watashi no piano no sensei wa itsumo “mainichi no renshū ga daiji desu” to osshaimasu.
My piano teacher always says, “It’s important to practice every day.”
In conversation, the quotation marker と[to] is often replaced by って[tte]. In the past tense you can shorten the whole endingと言っていた[to itte ita], down to just だって[datte].
お姉ちゃん、何食べたいって言って(い)た？
Onēchan, nani tabetai tte itte(i)ta?
What did your older sister say she wanted to eat?
「おすしが食べたいな」だって。
“Osushi ga tabetai na” datte.
She said, “I want to eat sushi.”
〜と言う[to iu] can also be used to ask how to say a word in another language, as in, “How do you say [word] in [language]?” In this case, the word you're asking about is the topic of the sentence, and the name of the language you're asking about is marked by the particle で[de].
"Thank you"は日本語で何と言いますか。
“Thank you” wa nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.
How do you say “Thank you” in Japanese?
「ありがとう」と言います。
“Arigatō” to iimasu.
We say, “Arigatō.”
You can also use 〜と言う[to iu] to tell someone your name, or what you are called:
私は「田中」と言います。
Watashi wa “tanaka” to iimasu.
My name is Tanaka.
Most of the time, it's not important to report someone's exact words, and what is important is the gist or message of what someone said. If this is the case, you'll probably want to quote someone indirectly, using a sentence structure like John said he was tired or Beth says she can bring drinks.
The most basic way to indirectly quote someone in Japanese is to use the plain form before と言う[to iu].
Speaker
は / が
wa / ga
What they said
(plain form)
と*
to
言う
iu
田中さんは明日パーティに行くと言っていました。
Tanaka san wa ashita pātī ni iku to itte imashita.
Mr. Tanaka said that he was going to the party tomorrow.
Let's look at some direct quotations next to how you might quote them indirectly, following the pattern above. Notice that the plain form is used in the indirect quote, even if the original speaker used a polite form!
Direct quote | Indirect quote |
|---|---|
「明日パーティに行きます」 “Ashita pātī ni ikimasu.” “I’m going to the party tomorrow.” | 田中さんは明日パーティに行くと言っていました。 Tanaka san wa ashita pātī ni iku to itte imashita. Mr. Tanaka said that he was going to the party tomorrow. |
「私は大学生です」 “Watashi wa daigakusei desu.” “I’m a college student.” | 山田さんは大学生だと言っていました。 Yamada san wa daigakusei da to itte imashita. Mr. Yamada said that he was a college student. |
「アルバイトに行かなきゃいけません」 “Arubaito ni ikanakya ikemasen.” “I have to go to my part-time job.” | 佐藤さんはアルバイトに行かなきゃいけないと言っていました。 Satō san wa arubaito ni ikanakya ikenai to itte imashita. Mr. Sato said that he had to go to his part-time job. |
Below are some trickier endings which may come at the end of someone's original quote. It may not be obvious how to make these endings "plain," in order to use them to indirectly quote them. Have a look!
〜ましょう[mashō] form → volitional form
The ましょう[mashō] form is used to form "let's" invitations in Japanese.
「週末バーベキューをしましょう」
“Shūmatsu bābekyū o simashō.”
“Let’s have a BBQ this weekend.”
When you indirectly quote someone who used the ましょう[mashō] form, you'll replace it with the plain volitional form, which is usually used to show someone is resolved to do something.
田中さんは週末バーベキューをしようと言っていました。
Tanaka san wa shūmatsu bābekyū o shiyō to itte imashita.
Mr. Tanaka said that we should have a BBQ this weekend.
〜でしょう[deshō] → 〜だろう[darō]
The polite ending〜でしょう[deshō] has a few uses, but most often it marks something that the speaker thinks will probably happen.
「明日雨が降るでしょう」
“Ashita ame ga furu deshō.”
“It will (most likely) be rainy tomorrow.”
The ending 〜でしょう[deshō] has a plain form, with exactly the same meaning: 〜だろう[darō]. This is the ending you should use in an indirect quote
天気予報は明日雨が降るだろうと言っていました。
Tenki yohō wa ashita ame ga furu darō to itte imashita.
The weather forecast said that it would (most likely) be rainy tomorrow.
Sentence-final particles → Dropped
If the original quote ends in a sentence-ending particle, like ね[ne] or よ[yo], you'll drop these in the indirect quote.
「夏休みは旅行に行こうよ」
“Natsuyasumi wa ryokō ni ikō yo.”
“Let’s go on a trip during summer break.”
小島さんは夏休みは旅行に行こうと言っていました。
Kojima san wa natsuyasumi wa ryokō ni ikō to itte imashita.
Mr. Kojima said that we should go on a trip during summer break.
Honorific expressions → Dropped
If the original speaker uses an honorific expression, you won't generally use that when you indirectly quote them.
「先生は今会議に出ていらっしゃいます」
“Sensei wa ima kaigi ni dete irasshaimasu.”
“The professor is in the meeting now.”
助手の人が先生は今会議に出ていると言っていました。
Joshu no hito ga sensei wa ima kaigi ni dete iru to itte imashita.
The assistant said that the professor was in the meeting now.
Remember, though, that if you want to express your own respect for the person being quoted, you can still use the respectful verb おっしゃる[ossharu] rather than the plain verb 言う[iu].
To report that someone has asked or ordered somebody to do something, as in John asked Beth to bring drinks, you'll need to use a slightly different pattern:
The requester is the subject, marked by は[wa] or が[ga].
⭐ The person being asked to do something is marked by the particle に[ni]
The request is the quoted expression, so this should always be in the plain form.
⭐ The quote is followed by the marker ように[yōni], rather than と[to].
You have a choice of reporting verbs, either 言う[iu](say) or 頼む[tanmu](ask). Use 言う[iu] for "told someone to..." and 頼む[tanmu] for "asked someone to..."
Let's look at an example!
Requester + は / が
Do-er + に
Request
(plain form)
ように
yōni
言う / 頼む
iu / tanmu
say / ask
田中さんが佐藤さんに明日資料を持ってくるように頼んでいた。
Tanaka san ga Satō san ni ashita shiryō o motte kuru yōni tanonde ita.
Mr. Tanaka asked Mr. Sato to bring the documents tomorrow.
Here's the original quote that the statement above reports:
「明日資料を持ってきて下さい」
“Ashita shiryō o motte kite kudasai.”
“Please bring the documents tomorrow.”
If someone asked someone not to do something, you'll just use the plain negative form before ように[yōni].
店員がお客にお店の中で写真を撮らないように言っていた。
Ten’in ga okyaku ni omise no naka de shashin o toranai yōni itte ita.
The store staff told the customer not to take photos in the store.
ように[yoni] can also be used instead of と[to] when you want to quote somebody’s plans but are unsure of their exact words.
山田さんは今日忙しいかな。
Yamada san wa kyō isogashii kana.
I wonder if Ms. Yamada is busy today.
たしか、今日出かけるように言ってたけど…。
Tashika kyō dekakeru yōni itteta kedo….
If I remember correctly, she said she would go out today.
To report that someone has asked a question, as in Beth asked what John wanted to drink follow the rules below:
The asker is the subject, marked by は[wa] or が[ga].
The question is the quoted expression, so this will end in a plain form.
⭐ The quote is followed by か[ka] or かどうか[ka dōka], rather than と[to].
か[ka] is used after
かどうか[ka dōka] is used after "yes-no" questions
⭐ Use the verb 聞く[kiku](to ask), rather than 言う[iu](to say).
Let's see an example!
Asker + は/が
Question
(plain form)
か / かどうか
ka / ka dōka
聞く
kiku
林さんはどこでミーティングをするか聞いていました。
Hayashi san wa doko de mītingu o suru ka kiite imashita.
Ms. Hayashi asked where the meeting would be held.
Compare the example above with the original quotation below. Notice that the plain form is used in the indirect quote, but not in the original.
「どこでミーティングをしますか」
“Doko de mītingu o shimasu ka.”
“Where are we going to have the meeting?”
You may remember that the ending だ[da] is dropped before the question particle か[ka]. This ending is also dropped in reported questions, whether it comes before か[ka] or かどうか[ka dōka].
✅ 森田さんは宿題の締切が明日かどうか聞いていた。
Morita san wa shukudai no shimekiri ga ashita ka dōka kiite ita.
Ms. Morita asked whether the deadline for homework was tomorrow.
❌ 森田さんは宿題の締切が明日だかどうか聞いていた。
Morita san wa shukudai no shimekiri ga ashita da ka dōka kiite ita.
When you want to tell what someone thinks or what they thought at some time in the past, follow these rules:, you can use 思っている[omotte iru], the te iru form of 思う[omou](to think). The plain form 思う is used for the speaker’s own opinion. For a third person, you have to change it to its te iru form. Please note that it’s usually in the present tense because the person still has the thought.
The thinker is the subject, marked by は[wa] or が[ga].
The thought is the quotation, so it should end in the plain form.
Use the marker と[to] , or the casual って[tte], after the thought (just like speech!)
⭐ Use forms of the verb 思う[omou](to think) where you might otherwise use 言う[iu](say).
思う[omou]: Use the plain form to report your own thoughts.
思っている[omotte iru]: Use the te-iru form to report someone else's thoughts.
Let's look at some examples:
Thinker + は/が
Thought
(plain form)
と
to
思っている
omotte iru
マネージャーは新しいプロジェクトが成功すると思っています。
Manējā wa atarashii purojekuto ga seikō suru to omotte imasu.
The manager thinks that the new project will be a success.
You'll use the past tense, 思っていた[omotte ita]((had) thought), to imply that the person no longer holds the same opinion.
山田さんは、試験でいい点を取れると思っていたけど、取れなかった。
Yamada san wa shiken de ii ten o toreru to omotte ita kedo, torenakatta.
Ms. Yamada (had) thought that she could get good scores on the exam, but she couldn’t.
There are other verbs that can be used instead of 思う:
考える[kangaeru](to think, to consider)
考える[kangaeru] is more formal than 思う[omou] and is often used in formal settings.
政府は早期の話し合いが大切だと考えています。
Seifu wa sōki no hanashiai ga taisetsu da to kangaete imasu.
The government thinks that early discussions are important.
信じる[shinjiru](to believe)
信じる[shinjiru] is used when the thinker is more confident than 思う[omou]. It’s not used very often in daily conversations.
コーチはあの選手なら世界で活躍できると信じています。
Kōchi wa ano senshu nara sekai de katsuyaku dekiru to shinjite imasu.
The coach believes that that player can make it in the world.
見る[miru](to consider, to estimate)
見る[miru] is used to describe somebody’s perspective. It’s often used in formal settings such as the news.
警察は犯人は男性だと見ています。
Keisatsu wa han’nin wa dansei da to mite imasu.
The police believe that the perpetrator is a man.
The verbs 言う[iu], 思う[omou], 考える[kangaeru] and 見る[miru], can be used in the passive form when you don't want to specify or can't specify who is being quoted. This is commonly done in academic papers and articles, to demonstrate public opinion.
日本のアニメは世界で人気があると言われている。
Nihon no anime wa sekai de ninki ga aru to iwarete iru.
It is said that Japanese anime is popular around the world.
異常気象の原因の一つは地球温暖化だと考えられている。
Ijōkishō no gen’in no hitotsu wa chikyūondanka da to kangaerarete iru.
One of the causes of abnormal weather is believed to be global warming.
Though it's not the most common way to report what someone said, it's also possible to use a quote as part of a , as in I heard a rumor that Beth will be here tonight.. In these cases, the message you're reporting modifies a noun. Here are some examples of Japanese nouns that are often modified this way.
噂
uwasa
rumor
話
hanashi
story
事実
jijitsu
fact
結果
kekka
result
評価
hyōka
evaluation
意見
iken
opinion
意志
ishi
intention
気持ち
kimochi
feeling
The quotation will always come before the noun, using the pattern below:
Quotation
(plain form)
という
to iu
Noun
子供の数が減っているという問題は、深刻だ。
Kodomo no kazu ga hette iru to iu mondai wa shinkoku da.
The issue that the number of children has been decreasing is serious.
来年新しいアパートが建つという噂を聞いた。
Rainen atarashii apāto ga tatsu to iu uwasa o kiita.
I heard a rumor that a new apartment will be built next year.
In conversation, と[to] is frequently replaced by って[tte], and いう[iu] can be dropped.
田中さんが来年結婚するって(いう)話、知ってる？
Tanaka san ga rainen kekkon suru tte(iu) hanashi, shitteru?
Do you know the story that Ms. Tanaka is getting married next year?
Here are some phrases that you can use after the quote, besides という[to iu].
といった[to itta] / というような[to iu yōna] / といったような[to itta yōna]:
という[to iu] is used when the modified noun has only one description, whereas といった[to itta], というような[to iu yōna], or といったような[to itta yōna]imply that there might be other ways to describe the noun.
会議では、新しい部署を作るべきだという意見が出た。
Kaigi de wa, atarashii busho o tsukuru beki da to iu iken ga deta.
At the meeting, there was an opinion that we should create a new department.
会議では、新しい部署を作るべきだといった意見が出た。
Kaigi de wa, atarashii busho o tsukuru beki da to itta iken ga deta.
At the meeting, there were some opinions, such as creating a new department.
との[to no]
との[to no] can be used to describe nouns that are more closely related to somebody’s utterance or thought, like 意見[iken](opinion), 考え[gangae](thought), 連絡[renraku](contact; communication), and 命令[meirei](order). It's a bit formal.
部長から、明日のミーティングに来られないとの連絡がありました。
Buchō kara ashita no mītingu ni korarenai to no renraku ga arimashita.
We received communication from our director that he will not be able to attend tomorrow's meeting.
In this post, we talked about how you can report what someone else said in Japanese. Here are the two most important patterns to remember:
Direct quotes: Someone's exact words
Speaker + は / が
「Quote」
と言う
to iu
said
Indirect quotes: The message of someone's words
Speaker + は / が
Message
(plain form)
と言う
to iu
said that
Don't forget that if you're reporting that someone made a request, gave an order, asked a question, or expressed a thought, you may have to use a verb other than 言う[iu](say), or mark the quotation with something other than と[to]!
Ready to practice what you've learned? Check out our Japanese reported speech activities to test your skills! Happy learning!
