Picking Up a Word Just Said
と言えば takes something from the conversation and makes it the new topic.
- 京都と言えば紅葉ですね。(Speaking of Kyoto — the autumn leaves, of course.)
Unlike ところで, which changes the subject entirely, と言えば hooks onto what was just said.
| Pattern | Move |
|---|---|
| ところで | abandon the topic, start a new one |
| と言えば | take a word from it and follow that thread |
The Three Forms
| Form | Job |
|---|---|
| と言えば | speaking of — the association it triggers |
| というと | speaking of — often introducing a question |
| というのは | as for — introducing a definition or explanation |
というのは is the one used to explain what something is: 敬語というのは丁寧な言葉のことです。
The Stereotype Use
と言えば often introduces the thing a listener would automatically associate — which makes it useful and occasionally a cliché. 日本と言えば富士山 is the obvious answer, and everybody knows it is.
そういえば
The set phrase そういえば means "come to think of it" and opens a memory that has just surfaced. It is extremely common in speech.