と言ってもいい
You could say, You might say
Structure
［い］Adjective + といってもいい
［な］Adjective + （だ） + といってもいい
Noun + （だ） + といってもいい
Explanation
The phrase と言ってもいい can be literally interpreted as 'it's fine even if you say (A)'. However, it is more naturally understood to mean 'it's fair to say (A)' or 'it's no exaggeration to say (A)'.
Because this grammar pattern begins with the quoting particle と, it can be attached to virtually any complete sentence or phrase that the speaker wishes to comment on.
- ケンさんは毎日１２時間も働いているから、会社に住んでいると言ってもいい。Ken works 12 hours every day, so you could say he practically lives at the office.
- あの映画はとても悲しいと言ってもいい。You could say that movie was incredibly sad.
- この町は静かだと言ってもいい。It's fair to say this town is quiet.
- 彼は天才だと言ってもいいでしょう。One could safely say that he's a genius.
Fun Fact
In many Japanese grammar patterns, verbs like 言う are frequently written in hiragana. This is done to visually distinguish them as part of a grammatical function, separating them from their standard verb usage. The same often applies to grammar involving other common verbs like 行く and 来る.
Examples
この辞書があれば、どんな言葉でも調べられるといってもいい。
You could say that with this dictionary, you can look up just about any word.
彼女はわたしの親友だといってもいいです。
You might say that she's my best friend.
このラーメンは世界で一番おいしいといってもいい。
You could say this is the most delicious ramen in the world.
最近忙しくて、週末はほとんど寝ていないといってもいい。
I've been so busy lately, you could say I hardly get any sleep on the weekends.
この町は夜も安全だといってもいいだろう。
One might say that this town is safe, even at night.
彼の成功は努力の結果だといってもいいでしょう。
It would be fair to say that his success is the result of his hard work.
彼は日本語がペラペラで、日本人と間違えられるといってもいい。
He's so fluent in Japanese, you could say he could pass for a native speaker.
毎日残業で、会社に住んでいるといってもいい。
I work so much overtime every day, you could say I practically live at the office.
人生は長い旅だといってもいい。
You might say that life is a long journey.
あの店は人気がなくて、客が誰もいないといってもいい。
That shop is so unpopular, you could say there's never anyone inside.
この景色は絵のように美しいといってもいいです。
You might say this scenery is as beautiful as a painting.
試験はもう全部終わったから、夏休みが始まったといってもいい。
Since all my exams are finished, you could say that my summer vacation has already begun.