To Ieba and To Iu To: Changing the Subject Naturally in Japanese

How Japanese conversations change direction

In English you can announce a topic change with anyway or by the way and nobody minds. Japanese conversation prefers a softer turn. The speaker takes a word that is already on the table, repeats it with a bridge phrase, and only then adds the new thing. The listener never feels dropped, because the new topic is visibly connected to the old one.

All the bridges in this guide are built on iu, to say. To ieba is literally if we say, to iu to is when we say, to ittemo is even if we say, and to iu no wa makes the saying itself a topic. The literal meaning explains why each one does its particular job.

To ieba: speaking of which

To ieba follows a noun that has just appeared in the conversation. It says: that word has reminded me of something related, and I am going to talk about it now. The new topic can be a question, news or a story; what matters is that the link is visible, even if thin.

The most useful form is sō ieba, literally if you say so, meaning come to think of it. It needs no specific noun; it signals that something has triggered a memory. It is one of the most common topic openers in casual Japanese and is fine at the office when followed by desu or masu.

There is also the set pattern X to ieba Y, naming the most typical example of something: Nihon no natsu to ieba hanabi, Japanese summer means fireworks. For this meaning to ieba and to iu to are interchangeable.

To iu to: when you say that, I think of

To iu to keeps the focus on the word itself. It introduces what that word means to the speaker, what image it brings up, or what the listener should understand by it. The pattern X to iu to, Y is the standard way to say when people say X, they usually mean Y, or X makes me think of Y. It is calmer and more explanatory than to ieba.

Because it explains, to iu to is common in teaching and in clarifying what someone else has said: Ōsaka to iu to, Ōsaka-shi no koto desu ka, when you say Osaka, do you mean the city? It also opens generalisations about what a word usually implies.

A common spoken relative is sō iu to, when you put it that way, which concedes a point. Nan to iu ka, how should I put it, is a filler that buys time while you search for words, and you will hear it constantly.

To ittemo: having said that

To ittemo comes after a claim and pulls it back. The speaker has said something that could be taken too strongly, so they add having said that, and give the limit. It is the grammar of modesty and precision.

The first clause can be a verb, adjective or noun in plain form: hanaseru to ittemo, takai to ittemo, gakusei to ittemo. The qualification often contains dake, only, or a modest number. Sō wa ittemo, even so, opens a sentence by conceding the previous point and then pushing back.

A close relative is to ittemo ii, it is fair to say, as in seikō to ittemo ii, you could call it a success. That is an evaluation rather than a limit: if the sentence ends with ii, it means you may call it.

To iu no wa: defining and asking

To iu no wa turns a word or a whole phrase into a topic so you can explain it. The pattern X to iu no wa, Y desu or Y to iu imi desu means X means Y. It is the form for definitions, explanations of names, and telling someone what you meant. When you do not know a word, the same pattern becomes the question: X to iu no wa dō iu imi desu ka.

In speech, to iu no wa shrinks to tte: kore tte nani, what is this. The full to iu no wa is more careful and suits a teacher, a client or writing.

At the start of a sentence, to iu no wa means the thing is, and introduces a reason for what you just said. In writing this becomes to iu no mo, the reason being.

The iu family side by side

The forms are easiest to keep apart when you see what each attaches to and what it does to the conversation. The table lines them up with a typical opening and the job it performs.

Two of the rows overlap. For naming the typical example of something, X to ieba Y and X to iu to Y are interchangeable. Everywhere else, keep them separate: to ieba moves on, to iu to stays and explains.

Spoken versus written register

In conversation, these bridges are frequent and short, and dropping polite endings is normal among friends. At work you keep the same phrases but finish with desu and masu, and use the full to iu no wa rather than tte with a client.

In formal writing, sō ieba is too chatty; writers prefer ni kanshite, regarding, or tsugi ni, next. To iu to and to iu no wa survive because they explain, and to ittemo is fine in an argument. In a presentation, announce topic changes with tsugi ni or sate rather than sō ieba.

• Friends: sō ieba, tte, nan to iu ka, sō iu to, no polite endings
• Office chat: the same phrases with desu and masu
• Explaining to a client: to iu no wa, to iu to, not tte
• Presentations: to ittemo and to iu to are fine; use tsugi ni for topic changes
• Reports and formal email: ni kanshite, tsugi ni, to iu no mo; avoid sō ieba

Common mistakes when shifting topics

The first mistake is using to ieba to introduce a topic with no link to what came before. Kyōto to ieba only works if Kyoto, travel, temples or something related has come up. For a completely fresh subject, use tokoro de or sō ieba, both of which allow a looser connection.

The second is finishing to iu to with a consequence, as if it were a plain conditional. In the bridge use, what follows is an association or explanation. Third, learners overuse to ittemo until every claim is hedged, which sounds evasive; one hedge per topic is plenty.

Finally, watch the difference between to iu no wa and to iu koto wa. To iu koto wa means so that means, or in other words, and draws a conclusion: kuru to iu koto wa, denwa shita n desu ne, so you're coming, which means you called. To iu no wa defines; to iu koto wa deduces.