Hanasu, Iu, Shaberu: Choosing the Right Japanese Verb for Speak

Hanasu: conversations, languages and topics

Hanasu is the verb of talking as an activity: two or more people exchanging words, or one person speaking on a subject. Its most common frames are tomodachi to hanasu, to talk with a friend; shigoto ni tsuite hanasu, to talk about work; and Nihongo o hanasu, to speak Japanese. Notice that o with hanasu marks the language or the matter as a whole, not a sentence that was said.

Hanasu is neutral in register: hanashimasu works with anyone, and o-hanashi shimasu is the humble form for explaining something to a customer or a senior. The noun hanashi is just as important. Hanashi ga aru means I need to talk to you about something, and chotto o-hanashi ga aru n desu ga is the gentle opener for a serious conversation.

Iu: the words themselves

Iu is to say: it points at the words that leave someone's mouth. That is why it is the verb behind quotation with to. Arigatō to itta, said thank you; iku to itte imashita, said they would go. Iu also takes a small set of nouns directly: namae o iu, to say a name; iken o iu, to give an opinion; uso o iu, to tell a lie; monku o iu, to complain; jōdan o iu, to make a joke. Each object is something said, not a subject discussed.

Iu is also the verb of naming and meaning. Kore wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka asks what something is called in Japanese, and dō iu imi desu ka asks what something means. Quotation with to iu is a large topic of its own, covered in the separate guide to quoting speech and thought, so here it is enough to remember: iu for words, hanasu for talking.

In register, iu is neutral, and iimasu is fine anywhere. The casual contraction yū is what you actually hear: nante yutta? is what did you say.

Shaberu: chatting and talking too much

Shaberu overlaps with hanasu but lives in a more relaxed world. It means to chat, to talk freely, and it often carries a hint of talking a lot. Tomodachi to shabetta is chatting with a friend; jugyō chū ni shaberu na is a teacher telling pupils to stop talking. Shaberisugita, I talked too much, and o-shaberi, a chatterbox, show the same colour.

Because it is casual, shaberu sits well between friends and in relaxed workplaces. It is not vulgar, but it is the wrong choice for describing a serious conversation with a client or for formal writing. With languages, Nihongo o shaberu is common in speech and means speaking Japanese in a practical, get-by sense, whereas Nihongo o hanasu is the neutral statement of ability. Pera pera shaberu, to talk fluently, is a common collocation.

Kataru, noberu and tsutaeru: telling, stating and passing on

Kataru is to tell or narrate. It suits stories, experiences, memories and beliefs, and it suggests speaking at some length with feeling: yume o kataru, to talk about your dream; taiken o kataru, to recount an experience. Monogatari, a tale, and katarite, a narrator, are built on it. Between friends it can sound heavy, the verb for someone holding forth on their philosophy after a few drinks.

Noberu is to state or express, and it belongs to formal speech and writing: iken o noberu, to state an opinion; riyū o noberu, to give reasons. You will meet it in exam instructions and news reports far more than in conversation, where iu or hanasu takes its place.

Tsutaeru is to convey or pass on. The message starts with one person and reaches another, often through you. Buchō ni tsutaete kudasai, please tell the manager; yoroshiku o-tsutae kudasai, please give my regards. It is also the verb for feelings that need to reach someone, kimochi o tsutaeru. The intransitive twin tsutawaru describes the message arriving: imi ga tsutawatta, the meaning got through.

Which verb takes which object

The fastest way to fix these verbs in memory is by their typical objects and particles. The table pairs each verb with the words that most often stand next to it, along with the compounds hanashiau and hanashikakeru, which keep the particles of hanasu.

Keigo: ossharu and mōsu

When politeness rises, iu disappears. For what a respected person says, use ossharu, whose polite form is the irregular osshaimasu and whose -te form is osshatte. Nan to osshaimashita ka is the polite way to ask what someone said, and osshatta tōri means just as you said.

For your own words, use mōsu, the humble form: Suzuki to mōshimasu introduces yourself, and mōshiwake arimasen, literally I have no excuse to state, is the everyday apology. Mōshiageru is a step more humble and appears in set phrases such as o-rei mōshiagemasu, I express my thanks. Hanasu follows the regular pattern: o-hanashi suru is humble and o-hanashi ni naru is respectful. A simple test for direction: ossharu points outward, mōsu points at you.

Hanashi o suru and the noun forms

Japanese often prefers a noun plus suru to a bare verb. Hanashi o suru, to have a talk, is more or less equal to hanasu, but it frames the conversation as an event, so it is what you use to arrange one: ato de hanashi o shimashō, let's talk later. Hanashi ni naranai means something is not even worth discussing.

O-shaberi o suru is to have a chat, dengon o nokosu leaves a message, and hōkoku o suru makes a report. For opinions, the polite way to invite one is go-iken o o-kikase kudasai, please let us hear your opinion, rather than iken o itte kudasai, which sounds abrupt.

• Hanashi o suru: to have a talk, arranged as an event
• O-shaberi o suru: to have a chat, casual
• Hanashi ga aru: I have something to discuss with you
• Hanashi ni naranai: not worth discussing
• Dengon o nokosu: to leave a message
• Hōkoku suru: to report, in the workplace
• Go-iken o o-kikase kudasai: please share your opinion, polite

Hanashi also appears in hanashi o kiku, to listen to what someone has to say, and ii hanashi, a heart-warming story.

Mistakes learners make with the speaking verbs

The most common mistake is hanasu for say. Kare wa iku to hanashita is wrong; quoted words need itta. The reverse also happens: tomodachi to itta for talked with a friend needs hanashita. A quick check is whether you can point at the words. If you can, use iu.

The second is shaberu in formal settings. Kachō to shaberimashita about a meeting with a manager sounds as if you two had a gossip; use hanashimashita. The third is tsutaeru for ordinary telling: tomodachi ni tsutaeta when you simply told a friend something sounds like relaying a message, and itta is more natural.

Finally, the direction of keigo. Learners say buchō ga mōshimashita when they mean the manager said, and tell customers watashi wa Tanaka to osshaimasu. Ossharu is for the other person, mōsu is for your side, with no exceptions.