という connects a quoted name, definition, or explanation to a following noun. "Called/named X / the [noun] that says or means X."
[Quoted content / Name] + という + [Noun]
「桜」という言葉を知っていますか?
"Sakura" to iu kotoba wo shitte imasu ka?
Do you know the word "sakura"?
「桜」という言葉 = the word called sakura
鈴木という先生に教わった。
Suzuki to iu sensei ni osowatta.
I was taught by a teacher called Suzuki.
鈴木という先生 = a teacher named Suzuki
「のぞみ」という新幹線に乗りました。
"Nozomi" to iu shinkansen ni norimashita.
I rode a bullet train called "Nozomi."
「のぞみ」という新幹線 = a bullet train called Nozomi
• Key Concept: という = "called / named / meaning." Fundamental for introducing names, giving definitions, and quoting. • Detail: ということ = "the fact that / that is to say." • Detail: というのは = "what I mean by ~ is / as for ~."
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones という is tested against.
って is the colloquial contraction of という/と (Aってお店 = a shop called A); という is the neutral/written-friendly form.
Bare と quotes speech/thought before a verb (行くと言った = said he'd go); という bundles the quote as a modifier attached directly to a noun (行くという話 = a story that [he]'ll go).
Study Japanese grammar on LenGaki

Get the Android app
The app adds offline study, home-screen widgets, stroke-order tracing, speaking practice with pronunciation scoring, and an AI tutor that answers questions in context — none of which fits in a browser tab.