Japanese word

話

Pronunciation

Romajihanashi

Meaning

  • nountalk

Example

母と話をします。haha to hanashi o shi ma su

I talk with my mother.

Illustration for 話 (talk)

More examples

毎日、母と話をします。mai nichi haha to hanashi o shi ma su

I talk with my mom every day.

友達の話を最後まで聞きます。tomo dachi no hanashi o sai go ma de ki ki ma su

I listen to my friend's story until the end.

Core concept

Describes words expressed aloud to communicate with others, narrate events, or address an audience.

Common phrases

  • 話があるhanashi ga a ru

    have something to say

  • 話をするhanashi o su ru

    have a talk

  • 話を聞くhanashi o ki ku

    listen to a talk

Similar words

会話kaiwa: Spoken communication shared by two or more people.
雑談zatsudan: A casual exchange about ordinary matters.
物語monogatari: A connected account of events told in words.

Definition in Japanese

人が口頭で伝えたり、互いに交わしたりする言葉や、その内容。hito ga kō tō de tsuta e ta ri taga i ni ka wa shi ta ri su ru koto ba ya so no nai yō

Word origin

話 (hanashi, "talk") is the noun form of 話す (hanasu, "to speak"), based on the verb's ren'yōkei, the form used before other words.

Usage tips

  • The phrase 話がある (hanashi ga aru, "there is something to discuss") can sound serious in Japanese when it is said without any further context.

Other meanings

  • storynoun
  • speechnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word