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JLPT N4 · Sentence patterns

と言(い)ってもいい (to ittemo ii)

~と言ってもいい — you could say ~

In short · A way to state a fairly strong judgment in a gentle manner: “it is fair to say ~ / you could say ~.” It attaches to the plain form of a sentence. It is used when giving an evaluation or an opinion.
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Pattern

  • 普通形 + と言ってもいい plain form + と言ってもいい (noun and な-adjective take だ: 医者だと言ってもいい)

Meaning

Literally “it is also fine to say ~”. In practice it means that the statement is close enough to the truth that you can safely say it, even if it is slightly exaggerated. It is useful for strong evaluations such as “the best” or “already the same as”.

Similar expressions

~と言える (“can be said”) is similar and a little more formal. ~と言っていい is the same as ~と言ってもいい. It is an opinion, so it is not used for plain facts.

Examples

  • 彼(かれ)はこの町(まち)で一番(いちばん)の医者(いしゃ)と言(い)ってもいい。

    Kare wa kono machi de ichiban no isha to itte mo ii.

    You could say he's the best doctor in this town.

  • この公園(こうえん)は町(まち)で一番(いちばん)広(ひろ)いと言(い)ってもいい。

    Kono kōen wa machi de ichiban hiroi to itte mo ii.

    You could say this park is the largest in town.

  • 彼女(かのじょ)の日本語(にほんご)はもう先生(せんせい)と同(おな)じだと言(い)ってもいい。

    Kanojo no nihongo wa mō sensei to onaji da to itte mo ii.

    You could say her Japanese is already as good as a teacher's.

Common mistakes

  • It does not simply mean “you may say it” as permission; in this pattern it softens an opinion.
  • Use it for evaluations, not for plain facts such as dates or numbers.

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