Phone calls
Collocations, Stage 3chunk 6 of 23Phone, photos & screens
One phone call on the noun denwa: calling, picking up and hanging up, then the phone ringing and calls that came in for you.
- denwa o kakerumake a phone call
- denwa ni deruanswer the phone
- denwa o kiruhang up the phone
- denwa ga naruthe phone rings
- denwa ga aru(someone) called, there was a call from X
- denwa ga kakaruget a phone call
Mix-ups The o/ni sets are things you do (kakeru, deru, kiru) and the ga sets happen to you (naru, aru, kakaru): denwa o kakeru vs denwa ga kakaru differ only in o/ga, with kara for the caller. This naru is 'ring', not naru 'become', and kiru ends the call.
denwa o kakeru
polite denwa o kakemasumake a phone call
電話をかける でんわをかける 電話をかけます
verbkakeru かけるhang or put something onto something; set something going (a call, a record)typical 4% of denwa
trap Not yobu or iu: phoning someone is denwa o kakeru (or simply denwa suru); yobu is summon, iu is call something a name.
Said when you phone someone, with the person marked by ni. For a plain 'I'll call you', denwa suru is the everyday default (ato de denwa suru ne); kakeru is what you hear for dialing and trying: kakete miru, nankai kakete mo denai (they don't pick up however many times I call). Casual speech drops o.
chotto okaasan ni denwa kakete miru.
Let me try calling my mom.
ちょっとお母さんに電話かけてみる。
chotto haha ni denwa o kakete mimasu.
Let me try calling my mother.
ちょっと母に電話をかけてみます。
kakenaosu = call again (after a dropped or missed call). The number takes ni: kono bangou ni kakete.
Learn alongside: denwa ni deru, denwa o kiru, denwa ga naru, denwa ga aru, denwa ga kakaruMain list: kakeru (Stage 4), iu (Stage 2)
denwa ni deru
polite denwa ni demasuanswer the phone
電話に出る でんわにでる 電話に出ます
verbderu 出るcome out, go out; appeartypical 5% of denwa
trap Not denwa ni kotaeru: picking up is denwa ni deru ('come out to the phone'); kotaeru answers a question. denwa o toru (lift the receiver) is also natural, especially for office phones: denwa totte!
Said about picking up, mostly in the negative: denwa denai (they're not picking up). Casual speech drops ni, and denwa dete means 'can you get the phone?'
zenzen denwa denai n da kedo.
They're not picking up at all.
全然電話出ないんだけど。
zenzen denwa ni denai n desu kedo.
They're not picking up at all.
全然電話に出ないんですけど。
Same verb: intaahon (door intercom)Learn alongside: denwa o kakeru, denwa o kiru, denwa ga naru, denwa ga aru, denwa ga kakaruMain list: deru (Stage 1)
denwa o kiru
polite denwa o kirimasuhang up the phone
電話を切る でんわをきる 電話を切ります
verbkiru 切るcut; cut offtypical 2% of denwa
trap Not kakeru ('hang'): denwa o kakeru makes the call; ending it is kiru ('cut').
Said at the end of a call (jaa, kiru ne = OK, I'll hang up) and for being hung up on (kirareta). Casual speech drops o.
gomen, machigaete denwa kitchatta.
Sorry, I hung up by mistake.
ごめん、間違えて電話切っちゃった。
sumimasen, machigaete denwa o kitchaimashita.
Sorry, I hung up by mistake.
すみません、間違えて電話を切っちゃいました。
Not kiru 'wear' (fuku o kiru): a different verb with different pitch and conjugation. Hung up = kitta, kirimasu; wore = kita, kimasu. Intransitive: denwa ga kireta = the call cut off.
Same verb: dengen (power), eakon (air conditioner), suitchi (switch)Learn alongside: denwa o kakeru, denwa ni deru, denwa ga naru, denwa ga aru, denwa ga kakaruMain list: kakeru (Stage 4)
denwa ga naru
polite denwa ga narimasuthe phone rings
電話が鳴る でんわがなる 電話が鳴ります
verbnaru 鳴るring, sound (a phone, bell or alarm)typical 1% of denwa
trap Spelled like naru 'become' and conjugated alike (natteru, natta), but the pitch differs: naru 'ring' is flat (na-RU), while naru 'become' falls after na (NA-ru). So keitai natteru yo means 'your phone's ringing'. Ringing something yourself is the transitive narasu (chaimu o narasu).
Said as a heads-up when a phone rings, in the -teru form: denwa natteru yo (your phone's ringing), often just natteru yo. Casual speech drops ga. The past natta is for a ring that already happened: sakki denwa natta yo.
nee, denwa natteru yo.
Hey, your phone's ringing.
ねえ、電話鳴ってるよ。
denwa ga nattemasu yo.
Your phone's ringing.
電話が鳴ってますよ。
Alarms and stomachs use it too: mezamashi naranakatta (my alarm didn't go off), onaka natta (my stomach rumbled).
Same verb: keitai (cell phone), mezamashi (alarm clock), araamu (alarm), intaahon (door intercom)Learn alongside: denwa o kakeru, denwa ni deru, denwa o kiru, denwa ga aru, denwa ga kakaruMain list: naru (Stage 1), -teru (Stage 1)
denwa ga aru
polite denwa ga arimasu(someone) called, there was a call from X
電話がある でんわがある 電話があります
verbaru あるthere is, exist; have; happentypical 6% of denwa
trap 'Your mom called' is okaasan kara denwa atta yo, with the caller marked by kara; okaasan ni denwa atta means a call came for her. okaasan ga denwa shita sounds like she called someone else.
Said when passing on who called, in the past with the caller marked by kara: obaachan kara denwa atta yo (Grandma called). At work, passing on a call takes the polite odenwa: tanaka-san kara odenwa ga arimashita. Casual speech often drops ga.
tanaka-san kara denwa atta yo. orikaeshite hoshii tte.
Tanaka called. He wants you to call him back.
田中さんから電話あったよ。折り返してほしいって。
sakihodo tanaka-san kara odenwa ga arimashita.
Mr. Tanaka called earlier.
先ほど田中さんからお電話がありました。
denwa kakatte kita tells the call coming in to you; denwa atta reports that a call happened, often to pass it on. denwa kita is the casual short form, and renraku atta covers word by any channel.
Same verb: renraku (word from someone), henji (reply), chakushin (incoming call)Learn alongside: denwa o kakeru, denwa ni deru, denwa o kiru, denwa ga naru, denwa ga kakaruMain list: aru (Stage 1), kuru (Stage 1), renraku suru (Stage 3), -te kuru (Stage 4)
denwa ga kakaru
polite denwa ga kakarimasuget a phone call
電話がかかる でんわがかかる 電話がかかります
verbkakaru かかるhang, be put onto; get going (the intransitive of kakeru)typical <1% of denwa
trap Not okaasan kara denwa kaketa: kaketa says you made the call. An incoming call makes either the call the subject (okaasan kara denwa kakatte kita) or the caller the subject with -te kuru (okaasan ga denwa kakete kita). denwa kita and denwa moratta are also natural.
Said of an incoming call, almost always as denwa kakatte kita (I got a call), with the caller marked by kara. The -te kuru shows the call coming toward you.
sakki okaasan kara denwa kakatte kita.
My mom called a little while ago.
さっきお母さんから電話かかってきた。
sakki haha kara denwa ga kakatte kimashita.
My mother called a little while ago.
さっき母から電話がかかってきました。
denwa kita is the short everyday version. Passing on a call that came while someone was out is denwa ga aru: tanaka-san kara denwa ga arimashita. This -te kuru means 'toward me', not the 'go and do' sense of -te kuru. The partners take kakaru in its 'running' sense.
Same verb: ongaku (music, already playing), eakon (air conditioner, running), enjin (engine, starting)Learn alongside: denwa o kakeru, denwa ni deru, denwa o kiru, denwa ga naru, denwa ga aruMain list: kakaru (Stage 4), kakeru (Stage 4), -te kuru (Stage 4)