Grammar Info
N5 Lesson 6: 9/13

って
Casual quotation

Can replace と

Structure
Quote + って + Verb
Details
Part of Speech Particle
Word Type Case Marking Particle
Register Casual
品詞 助詞
単語の種類 格助詞
使用域 タメ語
Information
って is a casual variation of the particle that is used for quoting something. This use is called 引用(いんよう) in Japanese, which basically translates to ‘reference’, or ‘citation’. って is almost exclusively used after direct quotations, and will be followed by a verb indicating what type of communication was used. 言(い)った, 思(おも)った, 聞(き)いた, for example.
  • 「行(い)ってきます」ってママ言(い)っ
    Mom said, ‘I’ll be back soon’.
  • それ危(あぶ)ないって先生(せんせい)言(い)っ
    The teacher said, ‘That is dangerous’.
Just like with , the verb that comes after って is frequently omitted. This is even more true for って, as many things are omitted in casual language.
  • トム「今日(きょう)休(やす)って
    Tom said he was going to take the day off today.
Caution
Although often heard, due to って being very casual, it can be considered unnatural to use in sentences that also use the です or ます polite structures. However, if the conversation is formal but friendly (like between a senpai and a kouhai), most people would consider it normal.
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彼(かれ)彼女(かのじょ)綺麗(きれい)な人(ひと)って言(い)った
He said, “She is a beautiful person”.
[denotes quotation]
Play  
先生(せんせい)「おはよう!」って言(い)った
The teacher said, “Good morning!”
[denotes quotation]
Play  
明日(あした)雨(あめ)降(ふ)りますって聞(き)い
I asked, “Is it going to rain tomorrow?”
[denotes quotation]
Play  
Books
Genki II 1st Edition
Page 97
Tobira
Page 21
Genki II 2nd Edition
Page 123
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 510
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 156
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 113