というか

というか
expression
or rather; or more precisely
1. or rather; or more precisely
Used to rephrase or correct what was just said, offering a more accurate or nuanced description.
(つか)れた、というか(ねむ)い。
I'm tired, or rather, sleepy.
(きら)いというか、苦手(にがて)なんです。
It's not that I dislike it — more that I'm not good at it.
(かれ)(やさ)しいというか、(だれ)にでも()使(つか)いすぎるところがある。
He's kind — or rather, he tends to be overly considerate to everyone.

USAGE:
というか follows a statement and introduces a rephrasing. The speaker feels the first description was not quite right and offers a more precise one. Very common in spoken Japanese.

VARIATIONS:

  • っていうか — casual spoken form
  • ()いますか — polite form
  • というよりも — similar meaning, slightly more formal (or more precisely)

PATTERN:
A というか B — not so much A as B; A, or rather B