English–Japanese
“so to speak” in Japanese
Japanese
Pronunciation
Romajiiwaba
Example
彼はいわば家族の一員です。kare wa i wa ba ka zoku no ichi in de su
He is, so to speak, a member of the family.
How to say “so to speak” in Japanese
“So to speak” in Japanese is いわば (iwaba).
It frames a figurative description as a useful way to express what something is like without claiming that the comparison is exact.
Example sentences with いわば
この経験は私にとっていわば人生の教科書です。ko no kei ken wa watashi ni to tte i wa ba jin sei no kyō ka sho de su
This experience is, so to speak, a textbook for life.
Tips for using いわば
- English so to speak and Japanese いわば (iwaba) both commonly mark a comparison, but the Japanese adverb can also make a broad description sound less absolute.