Japanese word

聞かす

Pronunciation

Romajikikasu

Meaning

  • verbtell

Example

祖父が私に昔話を聞かします。so fu ga watashi ni mukashi banashi o ki ka shi ma su

My grandfather tells me an old story.

Illustration for 聞かす (tell)

More examples

母は赤ちゃんに子守歌を聞かします。haha wa aka cha n ni ko mori uta o ki ka shi ma su

The mother lets her baby hear a lullaby.

Core concept

Causes another person to hear something, especially by telling a story or sharing information aloud.

Common phrases

  • 人に聞かすhito ni ki ka su

    let ___ hear

Similar words

聞かせるkikaseru: To let someone hear something by telling a story or sharing information aloud.
語るkataru: To tell a story or describe experiences in an organized and often detailed way.
話すhanasu: To express thoughts or give information in spoken words.
伝えるtsutaeru: To pass information, thoughts, or feelings from one person to another.

Definition in Japanese

相手に話や情報などを話して聞かせる。ai te ni hanashi ya jō hō na do o hana shi te ki ka se ru

Word origin

聞かす (kikasu) comes from the native verb 聞く (kiku, "hear") with the causative element す (su, "make someone do"); its basic sense is making another person hear, which extends to telling.

Usage tips

  • 聞かす (kikasu) can describe telling a story aloud, while the listener takes に (ni) and the story or information takes を (o) in the usual sentence pattern.

Other meanings

  • let ___ hearverb
  • inform ___ ofverb

Word lists with this word