denwa vs. tsuuwa：Quite Similar Japanese Words For You

2019年11月18日2022年1月5日

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電話でんわ vs. 通話つうわ: Quite Similar Japanese Words For You

What is the difference between “電話でんわ” and “通話つうわ“? They have subtle differences. What does “電話でんわするけど通話つうわしない” mean？ Let me introduce what their subtle differences are and how you correctly use them such as native speakers today!

電話でんわ (denwa)

Call, Phone / 电话 / 전화 / Điện thoại

“電話でんわする” means “call” which is a verb and “電話でんわ” means “Phone” which is a noun. The meaning of “電話でんわする” is “to call someone” and the basic way to use it is “___(someone or store/company)に電話でんわする(to call someone or a store/a company)” such as あなたに電話でんわする(I call you.), ABC会社かいしゃに電話でんわする(I call the ABC company.), etc. Although 電話でんわ“を”する is the basic to use, native speakers tend to omit “を”. “電話でんわする” focuses on “to call”. Some people use “電話でんわをかける” as same as “電話でんわする”. When using “電話でんわをかける”, you won’t be able to omit “を”.

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Sample

yuka

昨日きのう、友達ともだちに電話でんわしたよ！ (I call my friends yesterday!) (我昨天打电话给我的朋友！) (어제 친구한테 전화했어!) (Hôm qua tớ đã gọi điện thoại cho bạn tớ đấy!)

tatsuya

家いえに帰かえったら電話でんわするよ！ (I’ll call you when I get home.) (回家后给你打电话喔！) (집에 가면 전화할게!) (Khi nào về nhà tớ sẽ goi cho cậu!)

yuka

あとで電話でんわするね！ (I’ll call you later!) (等一下打电话给你！) (나중에 전화할게!) (Tớ sẽ gọi lại sau nhé!)

tatsuya

今いま電話でんわできる？ (Can I call you now?) (现在可以打电话吗？) (지금 전화할 수 있어?) (Bây giờ cậu nói chuyện điện thoại được không?)

通話つうわ (tsuuwa)

Talk on the phone / 通话 / 통화 / Gọi điện thoại

“通話つうわする” means “Talk on the phone” which is a vers and “通話つうわ” means “Phone” which is a noun. The meaning of “通話つうわする” is “to talk to someone on the phone” which focuses on “to talk” whereas “電話でんわする” focuses on “to call”. Although some native speaks use “電話中でんわちゅう！” as the of “I’m on the phone！”, that is “通話中つうわちゅう” is right Japanese. Because “電話でんわ” sounds more casual in daily conversation than “通話つうわ“. So native speakers tend to use “通話つうわ” as a noun, unlike “電話でんわする” often used as a verb, such as 通話時間つうわじかん(call duration), ビデオ通話つうわ(video call), 通話料金つうわりょうきん(calling fee), 無料通話むりょうつうわ(free call), 通話つうわプラン(call plan), 通話記録つうわきろく(call log), etc.

Sample

yuka

今度こんどビデオ通話つうわしようよ！ (Let’s do a video call next time!) (我们下次聊视频吧！) (다음에 영상통화하자!) (Lần tới mình gọi video đi!)

tatsuya

日本にほんでは、電車内でんしゃないで通話つうわするのは失礼しつれいなんだ。 (In Japan, it’s rude to speak on the phone on the train.) (在日本的火车里讲电话很没礼貌。) (일본에선 전철에서 통화하는 건 실례야.) (Ở Nhật mà nói chuyện điện thoại trong xe điện là bất lịch sự.)

yuka

たつやに電話でんわしたけど通話つうわ中ちゅうみたい。 (I called Tatsuya, but the line is busy.) (我打电话给达也，但他好像正在通话中。) (타츠야한테 전화했었는데 통화 중인 것 같아.) (Tớ vừa gọi cho Tatsuya nhưng máy bận.)