～というと／～といえば — Speaking Of That
Used to pick up a topic that was just mentioned and expand on it, or to introduce the first thing that comes to mind when you hear a certain word. It works like the English 'speaking of ~' or 'when it comes to ~', signaling that what follows is a natural association with the topic. といえば feels slightly more introspective ('now that you mention it'), while というと can also ask for confirmation ('by ~ do you mean...?').
Structure
[Noun / Plain phrase] + というと／といえば
Examples
日本の食べ物といえば、やっぱり寿司ですね。
Nihon no tabemono to ieba, yappari sushi desu ne.
Speaking of Japanese food, it has to be sushi.
といえば takes the topic '日本の食べ物' and introduces the first association that comes to mind.
京都というと、古いお寺を思い出します。
Kyouto to iu to, furui otera o omoidashimasu.
When it comes to Kyoto, I think of old temples.
というと introduces what the speaker naturally associates with the noun 京都.
田中さんというと、あの背の高い人のことですか。
Tanaka-san to iu to, ano se no takai hito no koto desu ka.
By Tanaka-san, do you mean that tall person?
というと here seeks confirmation of who exactly is meant.
• といえば often carries the nuance of 'the most typical/representative example'. • というと can request clarification ('do you mean...?'), a nuance といえば lacks. • Register: neutral; usable in both speech and writing.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～というと／～といえば is tested against.
vs ～といったら
といったら adds a stronger emotional or exclamatory punch ('when it comes to ~, wow!'), while というと／といえば are more neutral topic-shifters.
vs ～に関して
に関して formally means 'regarding ~' for detailed discussion, whereas といえば evokes a spontaneous association triggered by the word.
More connectives
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