Page 340 - Basic Japanese

7.2. と 言う to iu

When a phrase ending in to iu (to yuu) modifies a noun, there

are several possible meanings. If the noun refers to a
message or the like, the part preceding to iu may be a

quotation or paraphrase of the content.

田中さんが結婚したという噂を聞きました。

Tanaka-san ga kekkon shita to iu uwasa o kikimashita.
I heard the rumor that said that Mr. Tanaka got
married.

If the part preceding to iu is a name, the expression

means ‘which is called, which is named’:

田中次郎という男の人を知っていますか。

Tanaka Jirō to iu otoko no hito o shitte imasu ka.
Do you know a man called Jiro Tanaka?

妹は高田町という町に住んでいます。

Imōto wa Takada-chō to iu machi ni sunde imasu.
My sister lives in a neighborhood called Takada-

cho.

花というレストランで食べました。

Hana to iu resutoran de tabemashita.
I ate at a restaurant called Hana.

If the noun modified is kotoba ‘word,’ sentensu or bunshō
‘sentence,’ or ji ‘written character,’ the expression to iu
means something like ‘which is said, which is read,’ that is,

it refers directly to the word, sentence, or character.

オタクという言葉は今はだれでも知っています。

Otaku to iu kotoba wa ima wa dare de mo shitte imasu.