って
Casual quotation
Structure
Explanation
って is the informal counterpart to the quoting particle と. In Japanese, this function is called 引用, which translates to 'quotation' or 'citation'. って is almost always used to mark a direct quote and is followed by a verb that describes the act of communication, for example 言った, 思った, or 聞いた.
- 「このケーキ、おいしいね」って彼女が言った。She said, 'This cake is delicious, isn't it?'.
- 「電話があったよ」って父が言った。My dad said, 'You had a phone call'.
As with と, it is very common for the verb after って to be left out. This happens even more often with って, due to the tendency to shorten sentences in casual speech.
- 田中さんは「もう帰る」って。Tanaka-san said he's going home now.
Caution
Since って is highly informal, it can sound out of place when used in the same sentence as polite verb forms like です or ます. However, in conversations that are formal but still relaxed (for instance, between a senpai and kouhai), its use would generally be seen as natural.
Examples
友達は「また明日！」って言った。
My friend said, 'See you tomorrow!'
「これはいくらですか」って店員さんに聞いた。
I asked the clerk, 'How much is this?'
黒板に「ありがとう」って書いてください。
Please write 'arigatou' on the blackboard.
彼女は「この町は静かだ」って言った。
She said, 'This town is quiet'.
「このラーメンはおいしい！」ってみんなが言っていた。
Everyone was saying, 'This ramen is delicious!'
ノートに「今日の宿題」って書いた。
I wrote 'Today's Homework' in my notebook.
田中さんは「昨日は映画を見に行った」って言っていた。
Tanaka-san said, 'I went to see a movie yesterday'.
「鈴木さんは来ますか」って聞いた。
I asked, 'Is Suzuki-san coming?'
兄は「まだ食べたくない」って言った。
My older brother said, 'I don't want to eat yet'.
子供が「やったー！」って言った。
The child said, 'Hooray!'
あの花は「さくら」って言います。
That flower is called 'sakura'.
先生が「本を読んでください」って言った。
The teacher said, 'Please read the book'.