～といえば

How to form it

• Noun + といえば
• Noun + というと / といったら

Register: Neutral; spoken and written

Explanation

Takes a topic that has just come up, or a word that has been mentioned, and says what you associate with it.

The second part gives a representative or typical association. It can also be used to remember something related.

Examples

1. 日本といえば、富士山を思い出す。

   にほんといえば、ふじさんをおもいだす。

   Speaking of Japan, Mt Fuji comes to mind.

2. 京都といえば、お寺が有名だ。

   きょうとといえば、おてらがゆうめいだ。

   Speaking of Kyoto, temples are famous.

3. 夏といえば、花火だ。

   なつといえば、はなびだ。

   When you think of summer, you think of fireworks.

Compare with

• ～といっても: といっても limits or corrects a statement; といえば picks up a topic.

Common mistakes

• Using it when the topic has not come up. It needs a topic from the conversation or from common knowledge.