作(つく)り話(ばなし)

つくりばなし
noun
fabricated story, fiction
communication
1. fabricated story, made-up tale, fiction
A story that is invented or made up rather than based on fact. Often carries a negative nuance suggesting deception or lying.
それは作(つく)り話(ばなし)だろう。
That's a made-up story, isn't it.
子供(こども)が作(つく)り話(ばなし)をしているのはすぐわかった。
I could tell right away that the child was making up a story.
あの噂(うわさ)は全(すべ)て作(つく)り話(ばなし)だったことが後(あと)で判明(はんめい)した。
It was later revealed that all those rumors were fabricated stories.

Compound of 作(つく)る (to make) + 話(はなし) (story), with rendaku changing はなし to ばなし. Usually implies the story is meant to deceive, unlike 物語(ものがたり) (tale, narrative) or フィクション (fiction), which are neutral terms for creative works.

Common collocations

Related Words

Related: 虚構(きょこう) (fiction)
Compare: 空話(からばなし) (idle talk)
general
Added 2026.2.17 22:18 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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