話 (はなし) Japanese meaning

話 (はなし) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

Kanji

話tale, talk
噺talk, (kokuji)
咄exclamation of surprise, cry out (in anger), scold

Related words· 8

会かい話わN4sense 1
会話 specifically means an interactive back-and-forth conversation, while 話 can be a one-sided talk, story, or topic.
噂うわさN3sense 4
噂 specifically means rumor or gossip, while 話 in this sense is broader and can be any piece of hearsay.
物もの語がたりN3sense 5
物語 suggests a longer, often literary tale, while 話 can be a short anecdote or any kind of narrative.
議ぎ論ろんN3sense 3
議論 emphasizes a formal debate or argument over a point, while 話 in the discussion sense is more general and can include casual negotiation.

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語かたり
話 is the everyday, general word for talk or a story, while 語り implies a more deliberate or stylized act of telling.
談だん
話 is the common, freely used word for 'talk' or 'story', while 談 mainly appears as a suffix in compounds and sounds formal or literary when used alone.
ストーリーN3
話 is a broad, colloquial word for talk or story, whereas ストーリー specifically points to a structured narrative or plot.
しゃべり

Opposites

沈ちん黙もくN1sense 1
沈黙 means silence, the opposite of 話, which refers to speaking or conversation taking place.

Politeness

お話はなし
話 is the plain, neutral noun for 'story/talk', while お話 is its polite/honorific form used with respected listeners or subjects.

Don't confuse with

話はなし合あいN3
話 simply means talk or a story, while 話し合い specifically refers to a mutual discussion or conference aimed at resolving something.
放はなし
話 (はなし, 'talk/story') is pronounced identically to 放し but is an unrelated noun, unlike the suffix っぱなし which attaches to a verb stem.
話はなし声ごえN1
話 means 'talk' or 'story' as a topic or event, whereas 話し声 refers to the actual sound of the voice while talking, not its content.

Word family· 59

お話はなし
story; tale · talk; discussion
話はなし合あいN3
discussion; talk; conference
話はなしかけるN3
address; talk to; accost · start a conversation; begin to talk

Written forms

話はなしUsage97%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency in news and general use.
話はなしUsage2%
irregular okurigana
Irregular okurigana variant; sometimes seen in informal writing but less standard than 話.
はなしUsage1%
噺はなしUsage<1%

Etymology

Derived from the verb 話す (はなす, 'to speak'). The noun form 話 (はなし) is the continuative form (連用形) of the verb, which became a standalone noun meaning 'talk' or 'story'.

話はなし

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions· 42