でいうと is an expression in Japanese that is commonly used to ask questions, or to give information about how one thing corresponds with another. It is a combination of the 格助詞(かくじょし) (case marking particle)
で meaning ‘with’, and 言(い)うと meaning ‘if said’, or ‘if we say’.
This structure will be seen after nouns, and can be translated as ‘if said with (A), (B)’.
-
このバイクは、車(くるま)で言(い)うとランボルギーニみたいなものだ。
If we say it’s a car, this bike is something like a Lamborghini.
日本(にほん)で言(い)うとパンみたいなもの?
If we say Japan, is it something like bread? (Would this be considered bread in Japan)
一言(ひとこと)で言(い)うと彼(かれ)は本当(ほんとう)に凄(すご)い人(ひと)だ。
If said in a word, he is an amazing person.
でいうと will often be seen in sentences with
に当(あ)たる ‘to be equivalent to’, another common grammar structure used for drawing connections between things.
-
「What's up」は日本語(にほんご)でいうと、「元気(げんき)」に当(あ)たる。
If said with Japanese, 'what's up' is equivalent to 'Genki'.
コンピューターでいうとRAMに当(あ)たる。
If we say it’s a computer, it is equivalent to Ram.
一言(ひとこと)で言(い)うと is a set expression that means ‘to put it in a word’, ‘in short’, or ‘to sum up’.