Grammar

Reported Speech & Quotation: と言う, と思う, そうだ

引N4–N3

Japanese has several structures for reporting what people say, think, and hear. The particle と functions as a quotation marker, while そうだ and らしい encode hearsay vs inference. Mastering these unlocks natural indirect speech.

Direct and indirect quotation with と言う

The particle と before 言う (and similar verbs) marks the quoted content. Direct quotes use plain speech; indirect quotes use plain form of the embedded clause.

彼は「疲れた」と言った。かれは「つかれた」といった。He said, "I'm tired." (direct quote)

田中さんは明日来ると言っています。たなかさんはあしたくるといっています。Tanaka says he is coming tomorrow. (indirect quote)

先生は宿題を忘れないように言った。せんせいはしゅくだいをわすれないようにいった。The teacher told us not to forget the homework.

Expressing thought with と思う

と思う reports the speaker's own thoughts or beliefs. The embedded clause uses plain form. It differs from expressing-opinion そうだ in that と思う reflects the speaker's personal conclusion.

明日は雨だと思います。あしたはあめだとおもいます。I think it will rain tomorrow.

彼女はもう帰ったと思う。かのじょはもうかえったとおもう。I think she has already gone home.

難しいと思いませんか？むずかしいとおもいませんか？Don't you think it's difficult?

Hearsay: 〜そうだ (I heard that...)

そうだ attached to a plain-form clause marks hearsay — information heard from someone else. The speaker does not verify this information personally.

明日は休みだそうです。あしたはやすみだそうです。I heard that tomorrow is a holiday.

彼は転職したそうだ。かれはてんしょくしたそうだ。I hear he changed jobs.

新しいカフェはおいしいそうですよ。あたらしいカフェはおいしいそうですよ。I heard the new café is delicious.

Passing on information: と伝える, と聞く

Several verbs take と as a quotation marker: 伝える (convey), 聞く (hear/ask), 知らせる (inform), 頼む (request). These are essential for formal and business contexts.

会議が延期になったと伝えてください。かいぎがえんきになったとつたえてください。Please let them know the meeting has been postponed.

彼女が来られないと聞きました。かのじょがこられないとききました。I heard that she cannot come.

手伝ってほしいと頼まれました。てつだってほしいとたのまれました。I was asked to help.

Common mistakes

Wrong

彼は来るって言いました (in formal writing)

Right

Use 彼は来ると言いました in formal contexts

って is the casual contraction of と in quotation. It is fine in conversation but use the full particle と in formal writing and JLPT essays.

Wrong

明日は雨と思います

Right

明日は雨だと思います

When quoting a noun + だ or な-adjective + だ, do not drop the だ before と思う in standard written Japanese. 雨だと思います is correct; 雨と思います sounds incomplete in most contexts.

Wrong

Confusing hearsay そうだ with appearance そうだ

Right

Hearsay: plain form + そうだ vs Appearance: い/な-adj stem + そうだ

「雨が降るそうだ」= I heard it will rain (hearsay, plain form). 「雨が降りそうだ」= It looks like it will rain (appearance, verb stem). The attachment point changes the meaning entirely.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you quote someone in Japanese?

Use the particle と before a speech verb like 言う (say), 聞く (hear), 伝える (convey), or 思う (think). For direct quotes, the quote goes in 「」 quotation marks: 「疲れた」と言った. For indirect quotes, use plain form: 明日来ると言った (said he would come tomorrow).

What is the difference between と思う and そうだ for reported information?

と思う expresses your own belief or conclusion: 「難しいと思う」(I think it's difficult — my opinion). そうだ after a plain clause marks hearsay — information you received from someone else but cannot verify: 「難しいそうだ」(I heard it's difficult). と思う = my inference; そうだ = external information.

What is the difference between hearsay そうだ and appearance そうだ?

Two different constructions share the word そうだ. Hearsay そうだ attaches to a full plain-form clause: 「彼は来るそうだ」(I heard he's coming). Appearance そうだ attaches to verb stems or adjective stems: 「雨が降りそうだ」(it looks like it will rain). The grammatical attachment point distinguishes them.