話 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

話: talk; speak; story; conversation. JLPT N5; 13 strokes.

Readings

On readings

ワ

Kun readings

はな.す、はなし

Romaji

wa, hanasu, hanashi

Study notes

話 concerns speaking: as a verb 'to speak', as a noun 'speech, story'.

On reading: ワ in 電話 (でんわ, telephone), 会話 (かいわ, conversation), 話題 (わだい, topic), 童話 (どうわ, fairy tale), 世話 (せわ, care, assistance).

Kun readings: はなす (話す, to speak, to tell) is the verb; はなし (話) is the noun 'speech, story, tale': 話を聞く (to listen to a speech), 話し合い (はなしあい, discussion). In compound it becomes ばなし: 昔話 (むかしばなし, folk tale).

Remember: お世話になります (おせわになります) is a very commonly used formula of courtesy. The component 言 (word, to say) on the left connects 話 to 語 and 読, all linked to the word.

Example words

• 電話 (でんわ) — telephone; phone call
• 話す (はなす) — to speak
• 話 (はなし) — story; talk

Example sentences

日本語で話してください。

nihongo de hanashite kudasai.

Please speak in Japanese.

Stroke order

Follow the steps in order. Each new stroke is highlighted.

Stroke paths: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sequential diagrams derived from the original paths.