言う

Etymology
→ →  →  →

From, from. Compare.

Medial regularly changed from  →  →. Japanese never distinguished between and, so that automatically becomes. The only surfaces in the negative form of iwanai, where the phoneme  exists. Surface forms and  automatically became  and  since Japanese no longer distinguished  from.

Verb

 * 1) to say, to tell somebody
 * 2) * c. 890, (page 7)
 * 3) * c. 905, (chapter 6, page 84)
 * 4) to call, to name, to give a name
 * 5) * c. 890, (page 3)
 * 6) to cry, to call, to make a noise
 * 1) to call, to name, to give a name
 * 2) * c. 890, (page 3)
 * 3) to cry, to call, to make a noise
 * 1) to call, to name, to give a name
 * 2) * c. 890, (page 3)
 * 3) to cry, to call, to make a noise
 * 1) to cry, to call, to make a noise
 * 1) to cry, to call, to make a noise
 * 1) to cry, to call, to make a noise
 * 1) to cry, to call, to make a noise

Usage notes
As a transitive verb, this can take the usual accusative particle after the object of the verb. However, it is much more common to see this with the quotative particle instead.

Compared to other verbs such as, and , which refer specifically to speaking, this verb is abstract, and sometimes used like a copula, as in , , ,.

Idioms

 * : it goes without saying
 * : it goes without saying; it isn't easy to say
 * : it isn't worth bringing up; it isn't easy to say
 * : no way of saying it
 * : “not saying it, is a flower” → it would be better to leave it unsaid
 * : “not even saying would be preferable”
 * : "the time it takes to say ah" (the blink of an eye)

Conjugation

 * The perfective may also be.
 * The conjunctive may also be.