Refers to a short, interesting, or revealing story about a real person or event, often used in biographical or historical contexts.
Many anecdotes remain from his life.
That anecdote reveals his character well.
This temple has an anecdote passed down about a famous monk.
My grandfather happily told anecdotes from his youth.
Several anecdotes survive that show the general's bravery.
She has a lot of interesting anecdotes about her.
逸事 is a more literary, slightly old-fashioned synonym for 逸話, both referring to a little-known but interesting fact or story about someone.
逸話 is an anecdote or interesting episode about someone, not necessarily secret, whereas 秘話 emphasizes that the story has been hidden from the public.
逸話 is a little-known anecdote about a person, while 外伝 can specifically mean a story about a side character branching off a main work.
逸話 usually refers to a factual, little-known anecdote about a person or event, whereas 挿話 can be fictional and is structurally embedded within a larger work.
逸話 is a short anecdote about a real person, whereas 伝説 is a longer traditional story that may blend fact and myth.
逸話 is a lesser-known anecdote about a person, while 故事 is a well-known historical event or legend often carrying a moral lesson.
実話 (じつわ) means a true story overall, while 逸話 (いつわ) means a short anecdote about a specific person or event, and the two are easily confused by sound.
counter for stories; counter for episodes
Compound of 逸 (escape, deviate, excel) and 話 (talk, story). The kanji 逸 here suggests a story that stands out or has been passed down, fitting the meaning of a notable anecdote.