言う is the Japanese word for to say or to speak. It behaves like other verbs but it is used in conjunction with two different particles: the particle と when making a quotation, or the particle を for non-quotes. You can also use 言う to ask how to say something in Japanese using this useful pattern: XXXXは日本語で何と言いますか？
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| How do you say "car" in Japanese? | ”Car” は 日本語 で 何と 言います か。"Car" wa nihongo de nanto iimasu ka. |
| "Watermelon" is "suika" in Japanese. | ”Watermelon” は 日本語 で 西瓜 と 言います。"Watermelon" wa nihongo de suika to iimasu. |
| Please say it again. | もう 一回 言って ください。mou ikkai itte kudasai. |
| She didn't say that. | 彼女 は それ を 言いません でした。kanojo wa sore o iimasen deshita. |
Note that in the last sentence the particle を is used instead of と. Otherwise, the sentence would have meant: She didn't say "that". You'll learn more about quoting people in a later lesson.
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