connective N2 common casualpolitewritten
〜かというと — as for whether ~ / when it comes to ~
〜かというと ・ かというと
Meaning
- as for whether ~ / when it comes to the question of ~ — raises a question, then answers it (often against expectation)
Key sentence
高ければおいしいかというと、そうでもない。
As for whether expensive means tasty — not really.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A question (clause + か), often with a WH-word | [clause + か] + というと | なぜ〜かというと / 好きかというと |
Examples
なぜ人気があるのかというと、値段が安いからだ。
As for why it's popular — it's because it's cheap.
毎日使うかというと、実はそうでもない。
When it comes to whether I use it every day — actually, not really.
Easily confused with
See 〜かというと in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜かというと the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.