Learn Japanese Forum - Quoting in Japanese? (2024)

FAQs

How do you quote a quote in Japanese? ›

In Japanese, we use quotation marks (「Words here」) followed by と to signify what someone is saying. For direct quotes, this is often paired with "言います" (いいます). - 田中さんは「ねこが好き」と言いました。 - Mr.

Japanese also has quotation marks, brackets, and exclamation points, but they differ from their English counterparts in appearance and usage. Japanese quotation marks are shaped like corner brackets (「」), and the Japanese exclamation mark expresses surprise or admiration rather than excitement or anger.

1 – 継続は力なり

This is one of the most famous Japanese proverbs for success. It highlights the importance of continuous effort, even if you only do a little bit. When you progress one unit per day, the result after 100 days will be 100. But if you don't do anything, the result will be zero after any number of days.

Quotations within a Quotation

Use single quotation marks to enclose quotes within another quotation. The reporter told me, "When I interviewed the quarterback, he said they simply 'played a better game. '"

In Japanese punctuation, double quotes go inside single quotes when you're quoting text within text. It's the same rules as in British English punctuation (single first, double second). Sometimes people will use these double quotes alone as if they are single quotes, but that's a stylistic choice on their part.

「 」— Singular Quotation Marks

鉤括弧 (かぎ かっこ) — kagi kakko (key brackets) are the Japanese equivalent of quotation marks. In handwritten and typed Japanese, use these characters when denoting dialogue or quoting anything. Example: 京子は「外に食べに行こう」と言いました。

Ellipses (リーダー rīdā (leaders), 点線 tensen (dotted line), or てんてん ten-ten ("dot dot") indicate an intentional omission or abbreviation, or a pause in speech, an unfinished thought or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence (aposiopesis). The ellipsis was adopted into Japanese from European languages.

In casual speech, the quotative particles と (to) and って (tte) are often used to indicate indirect speech. Both particles follow the verb or adjective they are quoting. While と is more standard, って is preferable in informal situations.

Taito, daito, or otodo ( / ) is a kokuji ("kanji character invented in Japan") written with 84 strokes, and thus the most graphically complex CJK character—collectively referring to Chinese characters and derivatives used in the written Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages.

井の中の蛙大海を知らず (I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu) English Translation: “A frog in the well does not know the ocean.” This Japanese proverb means you should not look at situations from their face value. Go beyond that and widen your imagination.

How do I introduce myself in Japanese? ›

In casual speech, the quotative particles と (to) and って (tte) are often used to indicate indirect speech. Both particles follow the verb or adjective they are quoting. While と is more standard, って is preferable in informal situations.

Use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation. She said, “People who say 'Let me be honest with you' seldom are.” Use quotation marks when quoting a specific word or phrase. One engineer called the company's drug-testing program “a paranoid reaction.”

Either way is acceptable. You can also say "quote-unquote" after the quoted material: "He said he couldn't come, because he was 'busy,' quote-unquote."

Double quotation marks (二重鉤括弧, nijūkagikakko) are used to mark quotes within quotes: 「... 『...』...」 as well as to mark book titles (Japanese does not have italic type, and does not use sloping type for this purpose in Japanese).