connective N1 uncommon casualwritten
〜といおうか — or should I say ~
〜といおうか ・ といおうか
Meaning
- or should I say ~ / what should I call it — the speaker gropes for the right word, often weighing two characterizations
Key sentence
彼は正直といおうか、無神経といおうか、思ったことをそのまま口にする。
He's honest — or should I say tactless — he just says whatever he's thinking.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun, na-adjective, or clause (frequently used twice in a row) | N／な-adj／[clause] + といおうか（…といおうか） | 幸運といおうか、偶然といおうか |
Examples
不思議といおうか、運命といおうか、二人はまた出会った。
Strange, or perhaps fate — the two met again.
大胆といおうか無謀といおうか、彼は一人で挑戦した。
Bold, or should I say reckless, he took it on all by himself.
Easily confused with
〜というより というより decisively replaces one label with a better-fitting one ('rather than A, it's B'). といおうか leaves the speaker hesitating between labels, none of them settled — 'A, or should I say B.' むしろ むしろ commits to the second option as the apter description ('if anything, rather ~'). といおうか voices the search itself without committing.
See 〜といおうか in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜といおうか the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.