と言(い)おうかHow to put it, How shall I put it, How should I put it, Or perhaps, Or maybe, Call it … or

と言(い)おうか is an expression that combines the case-marking particle と in its quotation use, the volitional form of the う-Verb 言(い)う, 言(い)おう ‘to say’, and the adverbial particle か used for mid-sentence questions. It may be translated as ‘how to put it’, or ‘perhaps it’s (A), or perhaps it’s (B)’. However, the more literal ‘shall I say it is (A), or shall I say it is (B)’ is also a common interpretation.

This expression will be used twice, where both the (A) and the (B) phrase are being questioned by the speaker. As with many other uses of と of a quotation, the preceding word may be almost anything.

と言(い)おうか is interchangeable with the more common と言(い)うか, but it is advisable to only use it when specific emphasis needs to be made, or for some type of dramatic effect. In many cases, it will sound unnatural in daily speech.

と言(い)おうか will frequently be used with fairly vague or imprecise descriptions, in order to avoid but hint at what the speaker actually wants to say. Often, this will be something negative, and will therefore be omitted.