話 — Kanji Reference

話

Property	Value
Meaning	talk, story
Strokes	13
JLPT Level	N5
On-reading (音読み)	ワ
Kun-reading (訓読み)	はな-す、はなし
Radical	言 (ごんべん - gonben) [U+8A00]

Stroke Order

The kanji 話 follows standard Japanese calligraphy rules: top-to-bottom and left-to-right.

Left side (言): Horizontal stroke 1, followed by three short horizontal strokes 2, 3, 4, then a long horizontal base stroke 5. Then, the mouth (口) component: vertical 6, horizontal-vertical 7, horizontal 8.
Right side (舌): Horizontal 9, vertical 10, horizontal 11, horizontal 12, and the final sweeping stroke 13.

Radical Analysis

Radical: 言 (Speech/Words). This radical appears on the left side of many kanji related to communication.
Right Component: 舌 (Tongue).
Synthesis: The kanji combines "words" (言) and "tongue" (舌). It literally represents the physical act of using one's tongue to produce words, resulting in "talk" or a "story."

Mnemonic

Imagine a tongue (舌) wagging inside a mouth (part of the 言 radical) to tell a story (話). When you see the tongue on the right, remember that it’s the muscle you use to talk!

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ワ (Wa)

Word	Reading	Romaji	English
会話	かいわ	kaiwa	conversation
電話	でんわ	denwa	telephone
談話	だんわ	danwa	chat/discourse
童話	どうわ	dōwa	fairy tale

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

はな-す (Hana-su)

To speak/talk (transitive)

Word	Reading	Romaji	English
話す	はなす	hanasu	to speak
電話する	でんわする	denwa suru	to make a call

はなし (Hanashi)

A story/talk (noun)

Word	Reading	Romaji	English
話	はなし	hanashi	story/talk
お話	おはなし	ohanashi	story (polite)

JLPT N5 Words Using 話

Word	Reading	Romaji	English	JLPT
話す	はなす	hanasu	to speak	N5
話	はなし	hanashi	story	N5
電話	でんわ	denwa	telephone	N5
会話	かいわ	kaiwa	conversation	N4
お話	おはなし	ohanashi	story	N5
話し中	はなしちゅう	hanashichū	busy (on the phone)	N4
昔話	むかしばなし	mukashibanashi	folklore	N3
話し合う	はなしあう	hanashiau	to discuss	N3
世話	せわ	sewa	care/help	N4
噂話	うわさばなし	uwasabanashi	gossip	N3

Example Sentences

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
先生と話します。	せんせいとはなします。	Sensei to hanashimasu.	I will talk to the teacher.
電話をください。	でんわをください。	Denwa o kudasai.	Please call me.
彼は面白い話をしました。	かれはおもしろいはなしをしました。	Kare wa omoshiroi hanashi o shimashita.	He told an interesting story.
日本語で会話しましょう。	にほんごでかいわしましょう。	Nihongo de kaiwa shimashō.	Let's converse in Japanese.
昨日の話は本当ですか。	きのうのはなしはほんとうですか。	Kinō no hanashi wa hontō desu ka.	Is yesterday's story true?
忙しいので、後で話します。	いそがしいので、あとではなします。	Isogashii node, ato de hanashimasu.	I'm busy, so I'll talk later.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji	Reading	Meaning	How to distinguish
話	ワ / はな	Talk/Story	Contains 舌 (tongue) on the right.
活	カツ	Active/Life	Contains 氵 (water) on the left; means "lively."
舌	ゼツ / した	Tongue	This is the right component of 話; it is a standalone kanji.

Usage Frequency Note

話 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It appears daily in casual conversation, business settings, and news media. Because it is essential for expressing communication, it is one of the first kanji learners encounter and should be mastered early for basic fluency.