Usage patterns 〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 に 伝つた わる 民みん 話わ a folk tale handed down in <place>
There is a folk tale passed down in this village about the mountain god.
民みん 話わ を 語かた る to tell/narrate a folk tale
The grandmother told the children a folk tale.
民みん 話わ を 集あつ める to collect folk tales
She collected folk tales from various regions and turned them into a book.
民みん 話わ に 登とう 場じょう する to appear in a folk tale
That animal appears in many folk tales.
Kanji 民 people, nation, subjects Related words 昔話 specifically refers to old tales that often begin with 'once upon a time', while 民話 is a broader term covering all kinds of orally transmitted folk narratives.
伝説 is a legend often tied to a specific place or historical figure and may be believed to have some factual basis, whereas 民話 is a general term for folk stories without claims of historical truth.
民話 specifically means folktales, whereas 伝承 can encompass a wider range of transmitted lore, including legends, customs, and techniques.
民話 refers to folk tales passed down among common people, whereas 怪談 narrows the focus to eerie, ghostly tales.
Don't confuse with 童話 is a fairy tale or children's story, often written for young readers, while 民話 refers to traditional oral folk narratives handed down within a community.
神話 is a myth involving gods and the origins of the world, while 民話 is a folk tale about everyday people, animals, or local customs; the two words sound similar but differ in content and register.
Etymology Compound of 民 (people, folk) and 話 (story, tale). A relatively modern coinage, likely from the Meiji period, as a translation of Western concepts like 'folklore'.
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