Meaning & usage
いわゆる means so-called or what is commonly called, and it introduces a noun phrase as a widely recognized label or category like 才女 or 国際人. It is placed directly before a noun phrase, as in いわゆる文化人, with no particle between them. It is formal and common in writing, so it does not fit casual speech endings like よ, and it should modify an established name rather than a generic word or a newly defined term.
Example sentences 4
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彼女はいわゆる才女である。
She is what we call a talented woman.
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そのジャーナリストはいわゆる国際人だ。
The journalist is what you call a cosmopolitan.
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彼はいわゆる文化人である。
He is what we call a man of culture.
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これはいわゆる適者生存の例である。
This is an example of the survival of the fittest, as it is called.
