Japanese Conversation · Level 9
90 words
Japanese word
いわば
Pronunciation
Romajiiwaba
Meaning
- adverbso to speak
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.
More examples
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.
Core concept
It frames a figurative description as a useful way to express what something is like without claiming that the comparison is exact.
Common phrases
いわば家族の一員i wa ba ka zoku no ichi in
so to speak, a member of the family
Similar words
言ってみればittemireba: Describes something through a comparison without treating the comparison as a literal statement.
Definition in Japanese
厳密には同じでないものを、たとえとして言い表す場合に用いる語。gen mitsu ni wa ona ji de na i mo no o ta to e to shi te i i arawa su ba ai ni mochi i ru go
Word origin
いわば (iwaba) comes from 言わば (iwaba, "if one says it"), the conditional form of 言う (iu, "to say"), and literally introduces a way of putting something into words.
Usage tips
- 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.