Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
と is the neutral, standard quotation marker used in both speech and writing to report what someone says or what a text states, as in トムは行きたいと言っている. って is a casual spoken form that either quotes hearsay in informal conversation or introduces a topic for comment, as in 外国で暮らすって難しいね. The deciding factor is register and function: use と in formal or written contexts with explicit reporting verbs, and use って only in casual speech where you are introducing a topic or relaying hearsay without a reporting verb. Swapping them in writing—using って in a formal sentence—sounds unnatural, and using と in casual conversation can feel stiff.
- と Use と when you are quoting speech or text in a standard or formal context.
- って Use って when you are casually quoting hearsay or introducing a topic in spoken Japanese.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| と to | Quotation / sound / manner particle | N5 |
| って tte | Casual quotation | N4 |
と to
Quotation / sound / manner particle
A particle which marks a quotation, sound or the manner in which someone/something does something.
-
これは十六世紀に建てられたと書いてあります。
It is written that this was built in the sixteenth century.
-
トムは日本へ行きたいと言っている。
Tom says that he wants to go to Japan.
って tte
Casual quotation
A colloquial topic-introducer.
-
アメリカ人ってフットボールが好きだ・好きですね。
Speaking of Americans, they love football, don't they?
-
外国で暮らすって難しいね。
Living in a foreign country is hard, isn't it?
と and って are JLPT N5–N4 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.