Iu is the Japanese verb for ‘to say’, explained

What does “iu” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “iu” normally to mean ‘to say’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this verb as it is often used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “iu” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “iu”
  • Example #1: how to say “say” in Japanese
• Iwanai: the nai form of “iu”
  • Example #2: how to say “don’t tell” in Japanese
• Iou: the volitional form of “iu”
  • Example #3: how to say “let’s tell” in Japanese
• Iimasu: the masu form of “iu”
  • Example #4: how to say “tell” politely in Japanese
• Itta: the ta form of “iu”
  • Example #5: how to say “said” in Japanese
• Itte: the te form of “iu”
  • Example #6: how to say “please tell” in Japanese
• Ieba: the ba form of “iu”
  • Example #7: how to say “if tell” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “iu”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “iu”.

• iu – 言う (いう) : a verb meaning ‘to say’ or ‘to tell’ in Japanese.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “say” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
• tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
• tabun – 多分 (たぶん) : an adverb of probability meaning ‘maybe’ or such in Japanese.
• to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what the speakers sometimes say.

This is a typical usage of “iu”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “to”, to indicate what the speakers say. When we want to mean ‘to say’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “iu” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “iwanai”.

Iwanai: the nai form of “iu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “iwanai”.

• iwanai – 言わない (いわない) : the nai form of “iu”, which means ‘not to say’ or ‘not to tell’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “iwanai” consists of the following two parts:

• iwa – 言わ (いわ) : one conjugation of “iu”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “iwanai” is literally the nai form of “iu” and means ‘not to say’ or ‘not to tell’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “don’t tell” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ore – 俺 (おれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used by males in less formal situations.
• uso – 嘘 (うそ) : a noun meaning ‘lie’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “uso” to make the object in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “iwanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to tell’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Iou: the volitional form of “iu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “iou”.

• iou – 言おう (いおう) : the volitional form of “iu”, which expresses volition to say or tell.

Grammatically, “iou” consists of the following two parts:

• io – 言お (いお) : one conjugation of “iu”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
• u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “iou” is literally the volitional form of “iu” and expresses volition to say or tell. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “let’s tell” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• karera – 彼等 (かれら) : a pronoun meaning ‘they’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “karera” to indicate the object to which the action described by “iou” is directed.
• shinjitsu – 真実 (しんじつ) : a noun meaning ‘truth’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “iou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s tell” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.

Iimasu: the masu form of “iu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “iimasu”.

• iimasu – 言います (いいます) : the masu form of “iu”, which means ‘to say’ or ‘to tell’ politely in Japanese.

Grammatically, “iimasu” consists of the following two parts:

• ii – 言い (いい) : one conjugation of “iu”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “iimasu” is literally the masu form of “iu” and means ‘to say’ or ‘to tell’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “tell” politely in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• yoku – よく : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘often’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “iimasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “say” or “tell” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.

Itta: the ta form of “iu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “itta”.

• itta – 言った (いった) : the ta form of “iu”, which means ‘said’ or ‘told’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “itta” consists of the following two parts:

• it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of “iu”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “itta” is literally the ta form of “iu” and means ‘said’ or ‘told’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “said” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• hanabi – 花火 (はなび) : a noun meaning ‘fireworks’ in Japanese.
• kirei – 綺麗 (きれい) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “kireina“, which means ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “itta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “iu”, this ta form is the best option.

Itte: the te form of “iu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “itte”.

• itte – 言って (いって) : the te form of “iu”, which means ‘to say’ or ‘to tell’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “itte” consists of the following two parts:

• it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of “iu”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “itte” is literally the te form of “iu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “itte” is very useful when we want to use “iu” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #6: how to say “please tell” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ai shi – 愛し (あいし) : one conjugation of the verb, “ai suru”, which means ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “itte”. This is used after “ai shi” to make its te form, “ai shi te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by the preceding verb. In the example, this is used after “ai shi te” to express the continuity of its action, ‘to love’.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “itte” to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “itte”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “iu” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.

Ieba: the ba form of “iu”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “ieba”.

• ieba – 言えば (いえば) : the ba form of “iu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to say’ or ‘to tell’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “ieba” consists of the following two parts:

• ie – 言え (いえ) : one conjugation of “iu”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “ieba” is literally the ba form of “iu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “ieba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to say’ or ‘to tell’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #7: how to say “if tell” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• warau – 笑う (わらう) : a verb meaning ‘to laugh’ or ‘to smile’ in Japanese.
• yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to state the speaker’s idea softly.

This is a typical usage of “ieba”. In the example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “shinjitsu wo ieba”, which means ‘if you tell him the truth’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to tell’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “iu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• iu – 言う (いう) : a verb meaning ‘to say’ or ‘to tell’ in Japanese.
• iwanai – 言わない (いわない) : the nai form of “iu”, which means ‘not to say’ or ‘not to tell’ in Japanese.
• iou – 言おう (いおう) : the volitional form of “iu”, which expresses volition to say or tell.
• iimasu – 言います (いいます) : the masu form of “iu”, which means ‘to say’ or ‘to tell’ politely in Japanese.
• itta – 言った (いった) : the ta form of “iu”, which means ‘said’ or ‘told’ in Japanese.
• itte – 言って (いって) : the te form of “iu”, which means ‘to say’ or ‘to tell’ in Japanese. When we want to use “iu” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• ieba – 言えば (いえば) : the ba form of “iu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to say’ or ‘to tell’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.