N2 — outside your level filter

といえば

といえばto iebaN2neutral

といえば

speaking of; that reminds me — N launches a topic by association

この店みせのラーメンといえば、やっぱり味噌みそだよね。

kono mise no raamen to ieba, yappari miso da yo ne.

At this place, speaking of the ramen, it's gotta be the miso, right. casual

京都きょうとといえば、清水寺きよみずでらが有名ゆうめいです。

kyouto to ieba, kiyomizudera ga yuumei desu.

Speaking of Kyoto, Kiyomizu Temple is famous. neutral

Same meaning1

by the way; speaking of — changing the subject

All examples3

speaking of; that reminds me — N triggers whatever you associate with it

  1. この店みせのラーメンといえば、やっぱり味噌みそだよね。

    kono mise no raamen to ieba, yappari miso da yo ne.

    At this place, speaking of the ramen, it's gotta be the miso, right. casual

  2. 京都きょうとといえば、清水寺きよみずでらが有名ゆうめいです。

    kyouto to ieba, kiyomizudera ga yuumei desu.

    Speaking of Kyoto, Kiyomizu Temple is famous. neutral

  3. 今回こんかいの展示会てんじかいといえば、なんといっても来場者数らいじょうしゃすうの多おおさでしょう。

    konkai no tenjikai to ieba, nan to itte mo raijoushasuu no oosa deshou.

    Speaking of this exhibition, if anything stands out, it's the sheer number of visitors. formal

How it's formed1

All forms3

  • っていえばtteiebacolloquial

    spoken contraction — 日本にほんっていえば、やっぱり寿司すしでしょ.

  • というとtoiutoalternant

    same topic launch, and it has one job といえば lacks — asking the other person to pin down who or what they meant (田中たなかさんというと、あの背せの高たかい方かたですか).

  • といったらtoittaracolloquial

    the punchier spoken one (夏なつといったら、やっぱり花火はなびだね); do not read the extreme-degree 〜といったらない/〜といったらありはしない ("indescribably") back into it — that is a separate construction, and its force also comes through in 〜といったら、もう… without any negative.

Notes

The ば here is frozen — と言いえば no longer asks a real "if"; it always
launches a fresh topic by whatever the speaker connects with N.