← Kanji module
N5 · 13 strokes · — · Irodori #115 · Elementary 1 L2
話
tale, talk
Stroke diagrams © KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Readings
- On’yomi
- ワ
- Kun’yomi
- はな・す、はなし
Example words
話
はなし
talk; speech
話
わ
counter for stories, episodes of TV series, etc.
話題
わだい
topic; subject
話す
はなす
to talk; to speak
Memory aids
Guided learn session →How to remember
Shape
Words (言) + tongue (舌) — using your tongue to talk.
Components
Remember "tale" (話) by connecting it to its Irodori vocabulary context.
Anchor word
話す (はなす) — your first meeting with this kanji in Irodori.
Readings
First learned in 話す (はなす) — recall the word to unlock the reading. Kun'yomi: はな・す、はなし — often used in native Japanese words (like 話す). On'yomi: ワ — common in compound words (熟語).