Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "話す" vs "もっていく"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
話す
はなす (hanasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
もっていく
もっていく (motte iku)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 話す and もっていく are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
話す (はなす (hanasu)) represents "to speak, to talk" (Level: N5) and typically represents Used for verbal communication. Polite form is 話します.
On the other hand, もっていく (もっていく (motte iku)) translates to "to take (something somewhere)" (Level: N5) and is used for Implies moving an object away from the current location towards another. '持っていく. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "話す"
友達と日本語を話します。
I speak Japanese with my friend.
Bilingual Sentence for "もっていく"
明日、傘を持っていくのを忘れないでください。
Please don't forget to take your umbrella tomorrow.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "友達と日本語を話します。" (Meaning: "I speak Japanese with my friend.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "話す" fits here because it represents "to speak, to talk" in the context: "I speak Japanese with my friend.".