スピーカー
supīkā[sɨ̥pʲiːka̠ː]
The English word speaker in Japanese is スピーカー (supīkā). Wiktionary also lists 話者 (washa) and 話し手 (hanashite).
Meaning: one who speaks (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| スピーカー | supīkā | [sɨ̥pʲiːka̠ː] (narrow) |
| 話者 | washa | [β̞a̠ɕa̠] (narrow) |
| 話し手 | hanashite | [ha̠na̠ɕite̞] (narrow) |
You use 話し手 to refer to a person who is speaking, 話者 for formal or academic discussions regarding a speaker and スピーカー when referring to an audio loudspeaker.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 話し手 is composed of the verb stem 話し (to speak) and the suffix 手 (hand/person), literally meaning 'the person who speaks'.
Which one should you use?
The katakana loanword スピーカー is primarily used to refer to an audio loudspeaker rather than a person. In contrast, 話者 is a formal or technical term used in linguistics or academic contexts to denote a speaker.
How do you pronounce it?
supīkā
Did you know?
- Because スピーカー refers to hardware, using it for a person can create a comedic image of a human acting as a megaphone.
- While 話し手 describes the person speaking, the counterpart for the listener is 聞き手, which similarly uses the 'hand' suffix 手.
- The character 手 in 話し手 means 'hand', but when used as a suffix, it refers to the person performing the action. This is similar to how English uses the word 'hand' in 'farmhand'.
Examples in context
- その話し手は話を聞いてもらえなかった。The speaker couldn't make himself heard.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the form 話し手.Tatoeba #77178 by arnab, translation #326541 by CN
- イギリス英語のネイティブスピーカーです。I am a native speaker of British English.This sentence shows the use of the form スピーカー in the context of a native speaker.Tatoeba #11634485 by small_snow, translation #11539435 by sundown
- この文はネイティブスピーカーによるチェックが必要です。This sentence needs to be checked by a native speaker.Tatoeba #1750764 by bunbuku, translation #1520374 by Spamster
- このイベントには多くのスピーカーが参加します。Many speakers will participate in this event.
- 彼女は上手な話し手だよ。She is a skilled speaker.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are discussing a language learning app.
- 美咲 Misakiこのアプリは、スピーカーの質が高いですね。Kono apuri wa, supīkā no shitsu ga takai desu ne.The quality of the speakers in this app is high, isn't it?
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、ネイティブスピーカーが録音していますから。Hai, neitibu supīkā ga rokuon shite imasu kara.Yes, because native speakers recorded them.
- 美咲 Misaki発音がとても自然で聞き取りやすいです。Hatsuon ga totemo shizen de kikitori yasui desu.The pronunciation is very natural and easy to understand.
- 大翔 Hiroto本当に、いいスピーカーが集まっていますね。Hontō ni, ii supīkā ga atsumatte imasu ne.Indeed, they have gathered some great speakers.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “speaker” translations and entries スピーカー, 話者, 話し手, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
