1.
secret talk; confidential conversation; whispered story
A conversation or story shared in confidence, not meant for others to hear.
秘密話がある。
I have a secret to tell.
子どもたちが秘密話をしている。
The children are sharing secrets.
友達に耳元で秘密話をしたら、隣の人に聞かれてしまった。
When I whispered a secret to my friend, the person next to us overheard.
A compound of 秘密 (secret) and 話 (talk/story), with 話 voiced to ばなし through rendaku. This is an informal, everyday word often associated with children whispering secrets or friends sharing confidential gossip.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 秘密話をする: to share a secret; to have a confidential conversation
- 秘密話を聞く: to hear a secret
- 秘密話がばれる: for a secret to get out
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 内緒話: secret talk (very similar; 内緒 is slightly more colloquial)
- 秘密: secret (the noun by itself, without the conversational nuance)
- 噂話: gossip (not necessarily secret)