言い出す
いいだす · iidasu · JLPT N2 · verb-godan
to start talking
💬 言い出す = say (言う) + put out (出す): to be the first to put words out
出す means to put out, and after a verb stem it also means to start doing it. So 言い + 出す is to start saying something, often to be the one who first brings up an idea, like proposing a plan nobody had mentioned.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'