🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)
はなし【話】 : hanashi | define meaning
hanashi
Pronunciation: [hanaɕi]
Definition
Noun
- Talk; discussion; conversation; speech; story
- はなしすん【話すん】
hanashi sun
"To have a conversation", "To tell a story" - どぅしんちゃーとぅはなしそーん【同士んちゃーとぅ話そーん】
dushinchaa tu hanashi soon
"(She) is having a conversation with friends", "(She) is talking to some friends" - ちくいばなし【作話】
chikuibanashi
"Fictional story" - んかしばなし【昔話】
nkashibanashi
"Folk tale", "Legend"
- はなしすん【話すん】
Etymology
Cognate with standard Japanese はなし【話・話し】 hanashi "talk".
Historical Ryukyuan attestations
- Essay in Aid of a Grammmar and Dictionary of the Luchuan Language (1895), by Basil Hall Chamberlain, records "Hanashi, conversation, a story: hanashi shun, to tell, to say. (Jap. hanashi.)".
- 沖縄語典 Okinawa goten (Okinawan language dictionary) (1896), by Masayo Nakamoto, records "「はなし」話（ハナシ）、噺、咄".
Notes
Variant:
はなしー hanashii
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kanji | 話 |
| Kana | はなし |
| Romanization | hanashi |
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [hanaɕi] |
意味：はなし【話・話し・咄・噺】
話
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2026, October 10). はなし【話】 : hanashi | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2026, October 12, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/8679/hanashi/.