Breakdown of denwa
talk
話
We talk by forming words with our tongue.
electricity
電
When it rains, you quickly go to your rice paddy and point a fishhook in the sky in order to harvest some electricity.
Usages of denwa
電話するdenwasuru
to call, to telephone
携帯電話keitaidenwa
mobile phone
電話番号denwabangou
phone number
電話 を 切った。denwa o kitta.
I hung up the phone.
丁度 その 時、 電話 が 鳴った。choudo sono toki, denwa ga natta.
Just at that moment, the phone rang.
友達 に 電話 を 掛けます。tomodachi ni denwa o kakemasu.
I will call my friend.
誰 に 電話 を 掛けたい です か？dare ni denwa o kaketai desu ka?
Who do you want to call?
彼女 に お見舞い の 電話 を しました。kanojo ni omimai no denwa o shimashita.
I made a get-well call to her.
電話 を かけなければ、 誰 も 来ない でしょう。denwa o kakenakereba, dare mo konai deshou.
If you don't call, no one will probably come.
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“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
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