Grammar › Reference & Basis
というと — “speaking of, when you say…”
Picks up on a word just mentioned and pivots to a related thought or question
Noun + というと picks up a topic that was just mentioned and either follows up on it with a related thought or checks your own understanding of it — “speaking of X…” or “when you say X, (do you mean...)?” It's a natural way to keep a conversation flowing from one topic to a related one.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + というと | 京都というと、やっぱり紅葉ですね — Speaking of Kyoto, it's really about the autumn leaves, isn't it |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 夏休みというと、海か山かで迷いますね。 | なつやすみというと、うみかやまかでまよいますね。 natsuyasumitoiuto、umikayamakademayoimasune。 | Speaking of summer vacation, it's always a toss-up between the sea and the mountains. |
| 田中さんというと、最近転職したそうですね。 | たなかさんというと、さいきんてんしょくしたそうですね。 tanakasantoiuto、saikintenshokushitasoudesune。 | Speaking of Tanaka, I hear he changed jobs recently. |
| 12時というと、もうお昼ですね。 | じゅうにじというと、もうおひるですね。 juunijitoiuto、mouohirudesune。 | Speaking of 12 o'clock, it's already lunchtime, isn't it. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
というと builds on something already brought up in the conversation — it doesn't work as a way to introduce a completely new, unrelated topic out of nowhere.