Hanasu in Japanese has three different kanji expressions

What does “hanasu” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “hanasu” to mean ‘to talk’, ‘to release’, ‘to detach’, or such in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this verb as it is often used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “hanasu” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “hanasu”
  • Example #1: how to say “talk” in Japanese
• Hanasanai: the nai form of “hanasu”
  • Example #2: how to say “don’t let you go” in Japanese
• Hanasou: the volitional form of “hanasu”
  • Example #3: how to say “let’s talk” in Japanese
• Hanashimasu: the masu form of “hanasu”
  • Example #4: how to say “talk” politely in Japanese
• Hanashita: the ta form of “hanasu”
  • Example #5: how to say “talked” in Japanese
• Hanashite: the te form of “hanasu”
  • Example #6: how to say “please talk” in Japanese
• Hanaseba: the ba form of “hanasu”
  • Example #7: how to say “if talk” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “hanasu”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “hanasu”.

• hanasu – 話す/放す/離す (はなす) : a verb meaning ‘to talk’, ‘to release’, ‘to detach’, or such in Japanese.

“Hanasu” has three different kanji expressions. The first one means ‘to talk’ and this is the most widely-used one. The second one means ‘to release’ or such. Its basic concept is ‘to let something go’. The third one means ‘to detach’ or such. Its basic concept is ‘to keep two (or more) things separate from each other’. It’s also worth mentioning here that the last two expressions have the same origin. Although their meanings are different, their conjugations are basically the same. So, I will explain these three expressions together in this blog post.

Then, let me explain how to use “hanasu” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “talk” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• mainichi – 毎日 (まいにち) : an adverb meaning ‘every day’ in Japanese.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to indicate the person with whom the speaker talks every day.

This is a typical usage of “hanasu”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “to”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to talk’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “hanasu” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “hanasanai”.

Hanasanai: the nai form of “hanasu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “hanasanai”.

• hanasanai – 話さない/放さない/離さない (はなさない) : the nai form of “hanasu”, which means ‘not to talk’, ‘not to release’, ‘not to detach’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “hanasanai” consists of the following two parts:

• hanasa – 話さ/放さ/離さ (はなさ) : one conjugation of “hanasu”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “hanasanai” is literally the nai form of “hanasu” and means ‘not to talk’, ‘not to release’, ‘not to detach’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “don’t let you go” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kimi – 君 (きみ) : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kimi” to make the object in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “hanasanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to let someone go’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Hanasou: the volitional form of “hanasu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “hanasou”.

• hanasou – 話そう/放そう/離そう (はなそう) : the volitional form of “hanasu”, which expresses volition to talk, release, detach, or such.

Grammatically, “hanasou” consists of the following two parts:

• hanaso – 話そ/放そ/離そ (はなそ) : one conjugation of “hanasu”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
• u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “hanasou” is literally the volitional form of “hanasu” and expresses volition to talk, release, detach, or such. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “let’s talk” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• denwa – 電話 (でんわ) : a noun meaning ‘phone’ or ‘phone call’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• de – で : a case particle used to say what means or method someone uses to do something. In the example, this is used after “denwa” to indicate the means which the speakers use to talk.

This is a typical usage of “hanasou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s talk” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.

Hanashimasu: the masu form of “hanasu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “hanashimasu”.

• hanashimasu – 話します/放します/離します (はなします) : the masu form of “hanasu”, which means ‘to talk’, ‘to release’, ‘to detach’, or such politely in Japanese.

Grammatically, “hanashimasu” consists of the following two parts:

• hanashi – 話し/放し/離し (はなし) : one conjugation of “hanasu”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “hanashimasu” is literally the masu form of “hanasu” and means ‘to talk’, ‘to release’, ‘to detach’, or such politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “talk” politely in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• musume – 娘 (むすめ) : a noun meaning ‘daughter’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• yoku – よく : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘often’ in Japanese.
• tomodachi – 友達 (ともだち) : a noun meaning ‘friend’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

This is a typical usage of “hanashimasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “talk” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.

Hanashita: the ta form of “hanasu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “hanashita”.

• hanashita – 話した/放した/離した (はなした) : the ta form of “hanasu”, which means ‘talked’, ‘released’, ‘detached’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “hanashita” consists of the following two parts:

• hanashi – 話し/放し/離し (はなし) : one conjugation of “hanasu”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “hanashita” is literally the ta form of “hanasu” and means ‘talked’, ‘released’, ‘detached’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “talked” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “hanashita”. When we want to use the past tense form of “hanasu”, this ta form is the best option.

Hanashite: the te form of “hanasu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “hanashite”.

• hanashite – 話して/放して/離して (はなして) : the te form of “hanasu”, which means ‘to talk’, ‘to release’, ‘to detach’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “hanashite” consists of the following two parts:

• hanashi – 話し/放し/離し (はなし) : one conjugation of “hanasu”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “hanashite” is literally the te form of “hanasu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “hanashite” is very useful when we want to use “hanasu” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #6: how to say “please talk” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
• ryoushin – 両親 (りょうしん) : a noun meaning ‘parents’ in Japanese.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “hanashite” to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “hanashite”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “hanasu” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.

Hanaseba: the ba form of “hanasu”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “hanaseba”.

• hanaseba – 話せば/放せば/離せば (はなせば) : the ba form of “hanasu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to talk’, ‘to release’, ‘to detach’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “hanaseba” consists of the following two parts:

• hanase – 話せ/放せ/離せ (はなせ) : one conjugation of “hanasu”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “hanaseba” is literally the ba form of “hanasu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “hanaseba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to talk’, ‘to release’, ‘to detach’, or such. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #7: how to say “if talk” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• karera – 彼等 (かれら) : a pronoun meaning ‘they’ in Japanese.
• kangae – 考え (かんがえ) : a noun meaning ‘thought’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “karera no kangae” to make the object in the second clause.
• wakaru – 分かる (わかる) : a verb meaning ‘to see’ or ‘to understand’ in Japanese.
• yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the second clause to state the speaker’s idea softly.

This is a typical usage of “hanaseba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “ryoushin to hanaseba”, which means ‘if you talk with your parents’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to talk’, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “hanasu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• hanasu – 話す/放す/離す (はなす) : a verb meaning ‘to talk’, ‘to release’, ‘to detach’, or such in Japanese. This verb has three different kanji expressions. The first one means ‘to talk’ and this is the most widely-used one. The second one means ‘to release’ or such. Its basic concept is ‘to let something go’. The third one means ‘to detach’ or such. Its basic concept is ‘to keep two (or more) things separate from each other’. It’s also worth mentioning here that the last two expressions have the same origin. Although their meanings are different, their conjugations are basically the same.
• hanasanai – 話さない/放さない/離さない (はなさない) : the nai form of “hanasu”, which means ‘not to talk’, ‘not to release’, ‘not to detach’, or such in Japanese.
• hanasou – 話そう/放そう/離そう (はなそう) : the volitional form of “hanasu”, which expresses volition to talk, release, detach, or such.
• hanashimasu – 話します/放します/離します (はなします) : the masu form of “hanasu”, which means ‘to talk’, ‘to release’, ‘to detach’, or such politely in Japanese.
• hanashita – 話した/放した/離した (はなした) : the ta form of “hanasu”, which means ‘talked’, ‘released’, ‘detached’, or such in Japanese.
• hanashite – 話して/放して/離して (はなして) : the te form of “hanasu”, which means ‘to talk’, ‘to release’, ‘to detach’, or such in Japanese. When we want to use “hanasu” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• hanaseba – 話せば/放せば/離せば (はなせば) : the ba form of “hanasu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to talk’, ‘to release’, ‘to detach’, or such in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.