1.
narrator; storyteller
A person who tells a story or narrates events. Used both for literary narrators (the voice telling a story in fiction) and for real people who pass on oral traditions or perform narrative arts.
この小説の語り手は子供だ。
The narrator of this novel is a child.
戦争体験の語り手が少なくなっている。
There are fewer and fewer people who can tell of their wartime experiences.
祖母は村の昔話の語り手として知られていた。
My grandmother was known as a storyteller of the village's old tales.
Compound of 語り (narrating) + 手 (person who does something). The ～手 suffix creates agent nouns similar to English "-er" (e.g., 聞き手 listener, 書き手 writer).
In literary criticism, 語り手 refers to the narrative voice, equivalent to English "narrator." In everyday use, it refers to someone who tells stories or passes on experiences orally.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 物語の語り手 (narrator of a story)
- 体験の語り手 (person who recounts experiences)
- 伝統の語り手 (keeper of oral tradition)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ナレーター: narrator (for broadcasts, documentaries)
- 話し手: speaker (in conversation, not necessarily storytelling)