電話（でんわ、denwa）
- telephone

The Japanese word 電話 電話 means "telephone" or "phone". It refers to the device used for communicating with someone remotely using voice. It can also refer to the act of calling someone.

⚫︎電話番号を教えてください。 Translation: Please tell me your phone number. ⚫︎今、電話してもいいですか？ Translation: Can I call you now? ⚫︎電話に出てください！ Translation: Please answer the phone!

⚫︎ 電話 is used to refer to the phone itself, the act of making a phone call, or the content of the phone call. ⚫︎ You can use 電話 in various contexts, such as asking for a phone number, making a phone call, answering the phone, or discussing a conversation held on the phone. ⚫︎When you use the verb "to call," the word 電話is often used with verbs like かける (kakeru: to make a call) and 出る (deru: to answer the phone).

⚫︎ 電話 is typically written in kanji as 電話. ⚫︎ The hiragana reading is でんわ (denwa). ⚫︎ It is not typically written in katakana. ⚫︎ There are no significant variations in the okurigana.

⚫︎ 携帯 (keitai): This word means "mobile phone" or "cell phone." ⚫︎ スマホ (sumaho): This is a shortened form of "smartphone" (from English).

There aren't direct antonyms for 電話 in the way we usually think of antonyms. The concept of "not using a phone" might be described by other words.

友達に電話をかけました。 ・Translation: I called my friend. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the action of making a phone call to a friend.

電話で話しましょう。 ・Translation: Let's talk on the phone. ・Explanation: This sentence suggests a conversation will take place over the phone.

The word 電話 is a compound word: ⚫︎ 電 (den): means "electricity" or "electric." ⚫︎ 話 (wa): means "speech" or "talk." Therefore, 電話 literally translates to "electric speech," which accurately describes the function of a telephone.