라 하다

'Say / call it X' — 라고 하다 shortened

Speech drops the 고 from -라고 하다, leaving -라 하다: 창희는 내 동생이라 했지 않습니까? 'didn't you always say Chang-hee was like your little brother?' It is also how you grope for a word — 아니, 계곡이 아니라 뭐라 해야 되지? 'no, not valleys — what should I call them?', 그런 능력이라 해야 되나? 'should I call it an ability?' The full -라고 하다 is what you would write.

Register: casual spoken