connective N2 common casualpolite
というか — or rather
というか
Builds on という
Meaning
- or rather / or should I say / well, more like ~ — corrects or refines what was just said with a more fitting wording
Key sentence
彼は優しい、というか、お人好しすぎる。
He's kind — or rather, too much of a pushover.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Word or clause + というか (often A というか B というか) | [A] というか [B] | 嬉しいというか / 好きというか |
Examples
疲れたというか、もうやる気が出ない。
I'm tired — or more like, I just can't muster any motivation anymore.
というか、そもそもこの計画に無理があったんだ。
Actually — to put it better, this plan was a stretch to begin with.
Easily confused with
Notes
- A hugely common spoken filler. Sentence-initial というか shifts to a point the speaker feels is more to the heart of things ('actually / I mean'). Stacking 〜というか〜というか lists impressions while searching for the right one.
See というか in real sentences
Jengo shows というか the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.