LEARN + JAPANESE / Note 138 JLPT N4
Called, Named, That (という)
という sits between a name or a whole clause and the noun it belongs to, “called X” or “the news that Y.” It’s built from と, the quoting particle you met in と思う, plus 言う, to say, literally “a thing that’s called.”
She's an author named Yamada Kyouko.
a department store called Midtown
In Real Life
という is most useful when introducing a name the listener probably hasn’t heard, softening the introduction with “the one called,” rather than stating the name as though it’s already familiar to them.
the news that Tanaka is moving
the news that it's going to rain
In Real Life
Here という does a different but related job, wrapping an entire clause into a noun phrase, “the news that X,” “the rumor that Y.” The clause before という stays in its plain form, exactly like the clause before と思う.
Vocabulary
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| author | |
| department store | |
| girlfriend, she | |
| rumor | |
| news, notice | |
| to move house | |
| feeling | |
| town | |
| name | |
| to call, name | |
| to introduce | |
| to hear for the first time | |
| existence | |
| information | |
| content | |
| topic | |
| restaurant | |
| abbreviated as | |
| formal, official | |
| to name |