昔話（むかしばなし、mukashibanaし）
- folk tale

The Japanese word 昔話 (むかしばなし) means "folktale," "old tale," "legend," or "traditional story." It refers to stories that have been passed down orally from generation to generation, often featuring traditional Japanese settings, characters, and cultural values. These stories typically involve historical events, supernatural beings, or moral lessons. 昔話 often play a significant role in Japanese culture, preserving history and values. They usually feature fantastical elements.

⚫︎日本の昔話は面白い。 Translation: Japanese folktales are interesting. ⚫︎子供の頃、よくおばあちゃんから昔話を聞いた。 Translation: When I was a child, I often heard folktales from my grandmother. ⚫︎この本は色々な国の昔話を集めたものだ。 Translation: This book is a collection of folktales from various countries.

You use 昔話 when talking about folktales or traditional stories. It's suitable for discussing the stories themselves, their characters, or their origins. It can also be used to refer to the genre of storytelling or a collection of such stories. The context is typically related to history, culture, or children's literature.

昔話 is typically written using the kanji 昔 (むかし - "old times," "long ago") and 話 (はなし - "story," "tale"). The reading is written in hiragana as むかしばなし. There are no other common ways to write this word, and the okurigana is fixed.

⚫︎民話 (みんわ) - folk tale (more general, also used for international folk tales) ⚫︎伝説 (でんせつ) - legend ⚫︎お話 (おはなし) - story (more general term, suitable for folktales)

There aren't direct antonyms, but you could consider contrasting genres or subjects: ⚫︎現代小説 (げんだいしょうせつ) - contemporary novel ⚫︎ノンフィクション (non-fiction) - non-fiction

その昔話に出てくる鬼はとても怖い。 ・Translation: The ogre in that folktale is very scary. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the ogre character within a traditional Japanese story, a typical element of 昔話.

新しい昔話の映画が公開された。 ・Translation: A new folktale movie has been released. ・Explanation: This sentence mentions a movie adaption of a 昔話, indicating its modern relevance through visual entertainment.

The word 昔話 is a compound word. 昔 (むかし) means "old times" or "long ago," and 話 (はなし) means "story" or "tale." Therefore, 昔話 literally means "old story" or "a story from the past," accurately describing the nature of folktales.