というか〜というか
“Rather than A, it’s more like B / To put it more accurately…” → Used to revise, refine, or correct an expression, showing that the first wording is not quite accurate, and the second wording fits better.
N1
Meaning
“Rather than A, it’s more like B / To put it more accurately…” → Used to revise, refine, or correct an expression, showing that the first wording is not quite accurate, and the second wording fits better.
Formation
Verb (plain form) + というか 〜 Verb (plain form) + というか
Noun + だ + というか 〜 Noun + だ + というか
Noun + だ + というか 〜 Noun + だ + というか
な-adjective + だ + というか 〜 な-adjective + だ + というか
い-adjective + というか 〜 い-adjective + というか
Explanation
というか〜というか is used when the speaker:
first gives a rough or imperfect description (A)
immediately rephrases it more precisely (B)
The speaker is not presenting options and is not contrasting opposites.
Instead, they are adjusting their wording to be more accurate.
The nuance is:
A is not wrong
but B is a better expression
This grammar often appears in:
explanations
evaluations
written commentary
JLPT N1 reading passages
💡 Core idea:
“If I put it more accurately…”