話す
はなす
hepburn hanasu
to speak, to talk
Part of speech · godan-verb
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 日本語が話せます。I can speak Japanese.
- 友達と話しました。I talked with a friend.
Collocations
日本語を話す友達と話す話せる (potential)話 (story, noun)会話 (conversation)
Mnemonic
話す hanasu — godan -su verb. ます-form 話します, te-form 話して, potential 話せる ("can speak"). Distinct from 言う iu: 話す covers "conversation, speaking a language"; 言う covers "to say a specific utterance, to quote". Like "talk vs say" in English.
Quick check
How do you naturally say "I speak Japanese well"?