Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "言います" vs "もっていく"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
言います
いいます (iimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
もっていく
もっていく (motte iku)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 言います and もっていく are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
言います (いいます (iimasu)) represents "to say, to tell" (Level: N5) and typically represents Polite form of 言う.
On the other hand, もっていく (もっていく (motte iku)) translates to "to take (something somewhere)" (Level: N5) and is used for Implies moving an object away from the current location towards another. '持っていく. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "言います"
先生にありがとうと言います。
I say thank you to the teacher.
Bilingual Sentence for "もっていく"
明日、傘を持っていくのを忘れないでください。
Please don't forget to take your umbrella tomorrow.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "先生にありがとうと ＿＿＿ 。" (Meaning: "I say thank you to the teacher.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "言います" fits here because it represents "to say, to tell" in the context: "I say thank you to the teacher.".