言う
i-u
言う is one lump of speech leaving the mouth
The picture One lump of words leaves the mouth, crosses the air, and lands in someone's ear. 言う puts out one lump of words; 話す spends time with words going back and forth.
Where the picture shows up in 言う
-
Putting out one lump
もう一度言ってください。
mō ichi-do itte kudasai
Please say that once more.
You hold out a hand asking for the lump they just said to be taken out again.
-
Sending the lump on
店長に言っておきます。
tenchō ni itte oki-masu
I'll pass it on to the manager.
The lump from your mouth is set down on the manager's desk ahead of time.
-
Taking out your name tag
田中と言います。
Tanaka to ii-masu
My name is Tanaka.
You take a small plate with your name on it from your chest and set it in front of them.
For giving a name, ~と言います is the basic shape.
-
Carrying someone's lump over
医者は休めと言いました。
isha wa yasume to ii-mashita
The doctor told me to rest.
You catch the lump from the doctor's mouth and hand it on unchanged.
Quotes bundle the lump with と, as in ~と言いました.
-
A lump flying at you
遅れないように言われました。
okurenai yō ni iware-mashita
I was told not to be late.
A lump thrown from above lodges squarely in your ear.
言われました reads as being told off or instructed.
All of it in one picture
言う is one picture: a lump of speech leaving the mouth. Ask for that lump once more and you want it repeated; send it toward someone else and you have passed word along; take out your own name tag and you are giving your name; carry someone else's lump across unchanged and you are quoting; let a lump fly at you and you have been told. So 言う always points at the content — what was said, as one piece.