JLPT N3 grammar

〜といえば／というと／といったらmeaning and usage

Meaning

  1. When A is thought about, B soon comes to mind
  2. Although A is expected, in reality, it's B

How to form it

  • nounといえば/というと/といったら
  • verb (plain form)/い-adjectiveかというと/といえば
  • noun/な-adjective (stem)かというと/といえば

How it is used

1) Brings up a topic and what it calls to mind: 'speaking of A, ...'; 「といったら」 is the most colloquial. 2) 「〜かというと」 raises what one might expect, then says it isn't really so, often with 「そうでもない」.

Examples

  1. 日本の中で、一番有名な観光地といったら、京都ですね。

    When I think about the most famous sightseeing place in Japan, Kyoto comes to mind.

  2. 夏といえば、やっぱり花火だね。

    When you think of summer, it has to be fireworks.

  3. 有名な店ならおいしいかというと、そうでもない。

    You'd think a famous restaurant would be good, but that isn't always so.