いわば

• 読み: いわば
• ローマ字: iwaba
• 漢字の分解: 言 (i/gen) — say, speak (kanji form 言わば is rarely used)
• 発音: /i.wa.ba/

意味

So to speak; as it were; in a manner of speaking. Introduces a figurative expression.

An adverb used to signal that the following phrase is a metaphor or analogy rather than a literal statement: いわば人生の転機だ (it is, so to speak, a turning point in life). Helps the speaker frame a comparison while acknowledging it is not exact. Common in explanations, essays, and thoughtful conversation.

例文

1. 彼はいわばチームの心臓のような存在だ。
2. この町はいわば文化の交差点と言える。
3. インターネットはいわば現代の図書館だ。

使い方ガイド

場面: essays, speeches, explanation

トーン: analytical

起源と歴史

Contraction of 言わば (iwaba), the conditional form of 言う (iu, to say). Literally 'if one were to say' — a hedge indicating the following expression is figurative.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal