1.
casual quotation particle; said that; asked that
Casual spoken equivalent of と or という, marking quoted speech, thoughts, or reported information. Follows the quoted content.
2.
hearsay marker; I heard that
Marks information received from another source rather than directly experienced. Often translated as 'they say that' or 'apparently.' Often appears as ってよ or ってさ.
3.
casual topic marker; speaking of; as for
Casual equivalent of は, introducing or re-introducing a topic, often with a nuance of 'what do you mean by X?' or defining/questioning a topic.
A highly versatile colloquial particle used mainly in speech and casual writing. Its meaning depends on context.
Common patterns
- ～って言う: to say that ~
- ～って聞いた: I heard that ~
- ～ってよ: apparently ~; I heard ~
- ～ってさ: they say ~; apparently ~
- ～って本当？: Is it true that ~?
- Noun + って: speaking of X; as for X; what is X?
The quotation use (sense 1) is essentially a casual form of と in reported speech. The hearsay use (sense 2) adds a nuance of secondhand information, often with よ or さ. The topic use (sense 3) parallels は but often carries a questioning or definitional tone.