The Meaning of hanashi [話] In Japanese

話
はなし
Romaji: hanashi N5

What does 話 mean?

Translation and Meaning

talk, tale, story, conversation, speech — a talk or spoken matter

Definition

What does 話 mean? 話 (hanashi) denotes a ‘talk’—the content or act of speaking; it names something that is said, discussed, or told rather than a written text.

Type

noun (名詞); kanji (漢字) used as a noun root and in compounds

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • A narrative or tale told to entertain or inform (a story).
  • An exchange of words between people (a conversation or dialogue).
  • The subject or matter under discussion (a topic or issue).
  • A rumor, anecdote, or item of news passed along informally.
  • The element of speech in compound words that indicates speaking, telling, or accounts.

Composition

The character combines the speech radical 言 (gon/iu) on the left and 舌 (shita, ‘tongue’) on the right, visually suggesting ‘speech’ produced by the ‘tongue’—hence a meaning related to talking, telling, or words.

Usage

Used across everyday, literary, and formal registers to label spoken content, topics, or storytelling; appears as a standalone noun in speech (referring to a story or something to discuss), in compound words to mark acts of speaking, and in titles or headlines to signal a report or tale, with natural presence in casual chats, presentations, and media.
💡 Tips
Remember the left part is the speech radical and the right is a tongue—imagine your tongue telling a story to recall that 話 (hanashi) means talk/story.

Variations

  • 会話 (kaiwa) — conversation (synonym in the sense of dialogue).
  • 物語 (monogatari) — narrative/tale (overlaps with ‘story’ sense).
  • 語り (katari) — narration/telling (emphasizes the act of telling).
  • 無言 (mugon) — silence (antonym in the sense of absence of speech).

Example Phrases

  • スマホの電池を充電しながら友達に電話した。
    sumaho no denchi o juuden shinagara tomodachi ni denwa shita.
    I called a friend while charging my smartphone’s battery.
    Lista:
    • スマホ (sumaho) – smartphone
    • の (no) – possessive particle
    • 電池を (denchi o) – battery
    • 充電しながら (juuden shinagara) – while charging
    • 友達に (tomodachi ni) – to a friend
    • 電話した (denwa shita) – called
    Uso de 「しながら」 para indicar ações simultâneas; neste exemplo, 「充電しながら」 significa ‘while charging’ e 「電池」 funciona como o objeto de 充電する.
  • 会議中の雑音が私の話の流れを乱すことがある。
    Kaigi-chuu no zatsuon ga watashi no hanashi no nagare o midasu koto ga aru.
    There are times when noise during the meeting disrupts the flow of my talk.
    Lista:
    • 会議中の (kaigi-chuu no) – during the meeting
    • 雑音が (zatsuon ga) – the noise
    • 私の (watashi no) – my
    • 話の (hanashi no) – of my talk
    • 流れを (nagare o) – flow
    • 乱す (midasu) – to disrupt
    • ことが (koto ga) – there are
    • ある (aru) – there is
    Core grammar: 「乱す」 é transitivo e significa perturbar ou desestabilizar; aqui ele descreve o ato de perturbar 「私の話の流れ」, com o objeto marcado por を, e a expressão 「ことがある」 indica ocorrência ocasional.
  • 今日はお世話になりました、こちらこそありがとうございます。
    Kyou wa osewa ni narimashita, kochira koso arigatou gozaimasu.
    Thanks for today; the same to you.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (Kyou wa) – today
    • お世話 (osewa) – care
    • になりました (ni narimashita) – became
    • こちらこそ (kochira koso) – likewise / the same to you
    • ありがとうございます (arigatou gozaimasu) – thank you very much
    Mutual gratitude; 「こちらこそ」 expresses ‘the same to you’ in response to thanks.
  • 友達の前で自分の短所を素直に話せて良かった。
    Tomodachi no mae de jibun no tansho o sunao ni hanasete yokatta.
    I was glad I could honestly talk about my flaws in front of my friends.
    Lista:
    • 友達の前で (tomodachi no mae de) – in front of friends
    • 自分の短所を (jibun no tansho o) – my shortcoming
    • 素直に (sunao ni) – honestly
    • 話せて (hanasete) – could talk
    • 良かった (yokatta) – was glad
    「短所」 means ‘shortcoming’; here it is the direct object of 話す (短所を話す), i.e., ‘talk about my flaws’.
  • 会社の同僚と新製品の競争について話した。
    Kaisha no dōryō to shinseihin no kyōsō ni tsuite hanashita.
    I talked with a coworker about the competition for the new product.
    Lista:
    • 会社の (kaisha no) – of the company
    • 同僚と (dōryō to) – with a colleague
    • 新製品の (shinseihin no) – of the new product
    • 競争について (kyōsō ni tsuite) – about the competition
    • 話した (hanashita) – talked
    Core: 「競争」 is a noun meaning ‘competition’, and について話す expresses ‘to talk about X’.
話