言(い)わば

いわば
adverb
so to speak, as it were
1. so to speak, as it were
Used to introduce an analogy or figurative expression.
彼(かれ)は言(い)わば天才(てんさい)だ。
He is, so to speak, a genius.
これは言(い)わば革命(かくめい)だ。
This is, as it were, a revolution.
言(い)わば運命(うんめい)のようなものだ。
It's something like fate, so to speak.
これは言(い)わば第二(だいに)の故郷(ふるさと)だ。
This is, so to speak, my second home.
彼女(かのじょ)は言(い)わばチームの母親(ははおや)だ。
She is, as it were, the mother of the team.
ここは言(い)わば聖地(せいち)だ。
This place is, so to speak, a sacred ground.
この本(ほん)は言(い)わば私(わたし)の辞書(じしょ)だ。
This book is, as it were, my dictionary.
2. in a manner of speaking
Indicating that a phrase is not meant literally.
言(い)わば人生(じんせい)の転機(てんき)だった。
It was, in a manner of speaking, a turning point in life.
言(い)わば実験(じっけん)のようなものだ。
It's something like an experiment, in a manner of speaking.
言(い)わば奇跡(きせき)のような出来事(できごと)だった。
It was, in a manner of speaking, a miraculous event.
それは言(い)わば最後(さいご)のチャンスだった。
That was, in a manner of speaking, the last chance.
彼(かれ)は言(い)わば時代(じだい)の犠牲者(ぎせいしゃ)だったと言(い)えるだろう。
One could say he was, in a manner of speaking, a victim of the times.

言(い)わば introduces figurative or analogical expressions.

USAGE:

  • Introduces a comparison or analogy
  • Signals that the following phrase is not entirely literal
  • Softens or qualifies a statement

ETYMOLOGY:

  • From 言(い)う (to say) + ば (conditional)
  • Literally: "if one were to say"

SIMILAR:

  • いわゆる: so-called (introduces a label)
  • 言(い)わば: so to speak (introduces analogy)
core
Added 2026.1.9 21:30 · Revised 2026.3.25 23:52
01500/01914_iwaba