話す
hanasuverb★Beginner
informal
to speak, to talk
友達と話す
to talk with friends
日本語を話す
to speak Japanese
💡
Commonly used in everyday conversation. Often followed by particles like 'と' (with) or 'に' (to).
informal
to tell, to say
真実を話す
to tell the truth
彼に話した
I told him
💡
Can be used to convey information or stories.
Collocations
話すことto speak話す時間time to talk話す機会opportunity to speak
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related Phrases
話すことができるphrase
to be able to speak
話すのが好きphrase
to like talking
💡Pro Tip
Common Usage
'話す' is often used with particles like 'と' (with) or 'に' (to) to indicate who you are speaking to or with.
⚡Gold Rule
Politeness
In formal contexts, use 'お話しする' (ohanasu) instead of '話す' to show respect.
📖Word Origin
Derived from the verb '話す' (hanasu), which comes from the classical Japanese 'はなす' (hanasu), meaning to speak or talk.
📝Usage Notes
Often used in casual and formal contexts. Can be replaced with '言う' (iu) in some cases, but '話す' is more general and commonly used for ongoing conversations.
Word Breakdown
話
speech, talk
rootす
verb ending, to do
suffix✎ Noted on May 2, 2026JA → EN