One of the regular functions of
と in Japanese is as a quotation particle. This use is called 引用(いんよう) in Japanese, which basically translates as ‘reference’, or ‘citation’. This way of using
と can appear after almost any type of word (or phrase), but requires
だ when used after nouns or
な-Adjectives.
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先生(せんせい)が「危(あぶ)ない!」と叫(さけ)んだ。
The teacher yelled, ‘Watch out!’
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木村(きむら)さんが「3キロ歩(ある)いた」と言(い)った。
Kimura san said, ‘I walked 3 km.’
-
あれは猫(ねこ)だと思(おも)う。
I think that is a cat.
-
富士山(ふじさん)は綺麗(きれい)だと思(おも)う?
Do you think that Mt. Fuji is beautiful?
と as a quotation marker will almost always be followed by a verb that shows what type of ‘quote’ it is. This can be words like 言(い)う, 思(おも)う, 考(かんが)える, 聞(き)く, etc. However, at the end of a sentence, the verb will often be omitted.
As with other instances of the particle
と being used, this use simply expresses the relationship between (A) ‘what was communicated’, and (B) ‘how it was communicated’.