Meaning

Primary

Folk Tale

Alternatives

Legend, Old Story, Folklore

Word Type

noun

Explanation

Long ago people used to talk about all sorts of things. Most of them weren't true. Long ago people liked to lie a lot. Now we call those things they talked about folk tales and legends.

Reading

むかしばなし
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

The readings for this word are both kun'yomi readings. You learned them both already, so you should be able to read this on your own. Just watch out for the rendaku of はなし to ばなし.

Context

Common Word Combinations

  • 昔話を語る

    to tell an old story

    昔話をする

    to tell an old story, to reminisce

    昔話を聞く

    to listen to a folktale

Context Sentences

これは日本の昔話ですか。

Is this a Japanese folk tale?

まるで昔話の中に出てくるプリンセスみたいね。

You're like a princess that appears in an old tale.

バス待合所でバスを待ちながら、昔話の絵本を子どもに読み聞かせた。

While waiting for a bus in the bus shelter, I read a folk tale picture book for my child.

Kanji Composition