〜といったら to ittara

〜といったら（to ittara）means “speaking of ...; as for how (extremely) ...”. Picks up a noun (often a feeling or state) as a topic in order to emphasize its extreme degree, usually with admiration, shock or exasperation: 'when it comes to how X it was, (it was beyond words). Formation: N + といったら

speaking of ...; as for how (extremely) ...

N2

Formation

N + といったら

Explanation

Picks up a noun (often a feeling or state) as a topic in order to emphasize its extreme degree, usually with admiration, shock or exasperation: 'when it comes to how X it was, (it was beyond words).' The second half often expresses an extreme reaction or is left unsaid.

Examples

あの山から見た景色のうつくしさといったら、言葉にできないほどだった。
あのやまからみたけしきのうつくしさといったら、ことばにできないほどだった。
As for how beautiful the view from that mountain was, it was beyond words.
テストの結果を見たときのおどろきといったら、しばらく動けなかった。
テストのけっかをみたときのおどろきといったら、しばらくうごけなかった。
The shock when I saw the test results was such that I couldn't move for a while.

Note

Strongly emotive and emphatic. Often pairs with a degree noun like 〜さ (beauty, surprise). A casual variant is 〜ったら.

FAQ

〜といったら — what does it mean and how is it used?

speaking of ...; as for how (extremely) .... Picks up a noun (often a feeling or state) as a topic in order to emphasize its extreme degree, usually with admiration, shock or exasperation: 'when it comes to how X it was, (it was beyond words).' The second half often expresses an extreme reaction or is left unsaid.

〜といったら — how do you form it?

N + といったら

〜といったら — any usage notes?

Strongly emotive and emphatic. Often pairs with a degree noun like 〜さ (beauty, surprise). A casual variant is 〜ったら.

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