ใใจ่จใใพใ
~ to iimasu
To say / To be called
๐ธ Quoting Statements and Names ๐ธ
๐ฌ Dialogue
Tanaka-san wa nan to iimashita ka.
What did Mr. Tanaka say?
Kaigi wa san-ji kara da to itte imashita.
He said the meeting starts at 3 o'clock.
Ano atarashii sutaffu no namae wa nan to iimasu ka.
What is that new staff member's name?
Kare wa Tomu-san to iimasu.
He is called Tom.
Tomu-san wa Nihongo de nan to iimashita ka.
What did Tom say in Japanese?
'Onaka ga suita' to iimashita yo.
He said 'I'm hungry'.
๐ Vocabulary
5 wordsโญ Key Sentence
[Sentence/Name] to iimasu
Says that... / Is called...
- Pattern: [Sentence/Name] ใจ่จใใพใ
- Meaning: Used to quote someone's words or state a name.
Watashi wa Tanaka to iimasu.
I am called Tanaka.
Kare wa ashita kuru to iimashita.
He said that he will come tomorrow.
๐ Explanation
The particle ใจ acts as a quotation mark in Japanese. It follows the exact words spoken or the content of a statement.
When introducing yourself or others, ใใจ่จใใพใ is a polite way to state a name, similar to 'is called' in English.
To report what someone said in the past, use the past tense ใจ่จใใพใใ or the continuous form ใจ่จใฃใฆใใพใใ for hearsay.
Kore wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka?
= 'What is this called in Japanese?'
๐ Quiz
How do you say 'He said he is busy' in Japanese?