Quick Reference

Meaning & Definition

電話 (denwa) is one of the first words Japanese learners encounter — and one that reveals how deeply phone etiquette is woven into Japanese professional and personal life. Whether you’re calling a friend or reaching a corporate switchboard, the language surrounding 電話 shifts dramatically depending on context.

電話 functions as both a noun meaning ‘telephone’ (the device) and, when combined with する, as a verb meaning ‘to make a phone call.’ As a noun, it refers to the physical phone or to a phone call itself: 電話がある means ‘there is a phone call (for you),’ while 電話をかける means ‘to place a call.’ The する form — 電話する — is the most common verb form in casual speech, as in 後で電話するね (‘I’ll call you later’). In formal writing or keigo, 電話をかける or お電話をいたします are preferred over the plain する form.

How to Use It

A common point of confusion is the difference between 電話する (to call someone) and 電話がある (to receive a call or have a call waiting). Learners sometimes use 電話がある when they mean 電話する, reversing the direction of the call. Also note that the device itself and the act of calling share the same word: 電話を取る means ‘to pick up the phone,’ while 電話を切る means ‘to hang up.’ In Japan, it is considered polite to wait for the other party to hang up first — cutting the call yourself, especially in business contexts, can seem abrupt.

Kanji Breakdown

電話 is composed of two kanji that together describe the technology precisely. 電 (den) means ‘electricity’ and appears in words like 電車 (densha, train) and 電気 (denki, electricity). 話 (wa) means ‘speech’ or ‘story’ and also appears in 話す (hanasu, to speak) and 会話 (kaiwa, conversation). Combined, 電話 literally means ‘electric speech’ — a name coined in the Meiji era when telegraph and telephone technology arrived from the West and was rendered into kanji compounds.

Example Sentences

Cultural Context

Business phone calls in Japan follow a distinctive ritual that surprises many first-time callers. Companies typically answer with a set phrase — はい、〇〇株式会社でございます — and both parties use honorific language (keigo) throughout. The caller is expected to identify themselves immediately: こちらは〇〇と申します (‘This is [name] calling’). Hanging up before the other party does is considered rude, particularly when calling a client or superior, as it implies impatience.

The vocabulary around 電話 has evolved alongside hardware shifts. 固定電話 (kotei denwa, landline) is now explicitly distinguished from 携帯電話 (keitai denwa, mobile phone) — the latter shortened in everyday speech to ケータイ (keitai). With smartphones becoming dominant, スマホ (sumaho, from ‘smartphone’) is now far more common in casual conversation than ケータイ. Despite the shift, the word 電話する remains the standard verb for making any call, whether from a landline, flip phone, or smartphone app.

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