How to Say ‘Shall we talk?’ in Japanese
話しませんか？
hanashi mase n ka
[hah-nah-shee mah-seh n kah]
💬 Usage Tip: Asking "won't we…?" with ませんか turns a verb into a polite invitation: 飲みませんか "Shall we have a drink?"
Phrase Breakdown
話し
hanashi
[hah-nah-shee]
talk; speak (verb stem)
Stem of 話す (to talk). Used before endings like たい (want to).
人と話したいです。
I want to talk with people.
ませ
mase
[mah-seh]
polite negative (part of ません)
「ませ」 is part of 「ません」, the polite negative form.
はいていません。
I haven’t vomited.
ん
n
[n]
negative ending
The final sound completing the negative polite form.
一人は魚が食べられません。
One person cannot eat fish.
か
ka
[kah]
question particle
Turns a sentence into a question. In polite speech, か is standard for asking questions in interviews.
日本語は勉強していますか。
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