1.
to start to say, to begin talking about
To begin speaking about something, especially something new or that was not being discussed before.
急に泣き出して、何か言い出した。
She suddenly burst into tears and started to say something.
彼が突然転職したいと言い出した。
He suddenly said he wanted to change jobs.
子供が「犬を飼いたい」と言い出した。
The child started saying they wanted to get a dog.
会議の途中で、部長が新しいプロジェクトの話を言い出した。
In the middle of the meeting, the department head started talking about a new project.
言い出しにくいことだが、正直に話すべきだ。
It's hard to bring up, but you should speak honestly.
2.
to bring up, to propose
To raise a topic or make a suggestion, often something unexpected or difficult.
自分から言い出したことだから、最後までやりなさい。
Since you're the one who brought it up, see it through to the end.
言い出しっぺが責任を取る。
The one who brought it up takes responsibility.
[Note: 言い出しっぺ is a casual expression for 'the person who first suggested something']
彼女が離婚を言い出した。
She brought up divorce.
誰も値上げの話を言い出せなかった。
Nobody could bring themselves to bring up the topic of a price increase.
社長が海外進出を言い出したとき、全員驚いた。
When the president proposed expanding overseas, everyone was surprised.
言い出す is a transitive verb (他動詞) meaning to bring up a topic or begin to speak about something.
COMPOUND STRUCTURE:
- 言う (to say) + 出す (to begin, to put out) → to begin to say
ASPECT (ている):
言い出している is rarely used; the simple past 言い出した is more common.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 突然言い出す (suddenly bring up)
- 自分から言い出す (bring up oneself, propose voluntarily)
- ～と言い出す (start saying that~)
DERIVED WORDS:
- 言い出しっぺ: the person who first proposed something (casual)
- 言い出しにくい: hard to bring up (adjective)
NUANCE:
Often implies that what is being said is unexpected, potentially problematic, or requires courage to say.
[Register: Neutral]