言い伝え・言伝え|いいつたえiitsutae[0]heiban (flat)

1. nountradition; legend

• Synonym伝説でんせつNeutralRefers to the legend or tale itself, and figuratively to a legendary figure as in 「伝説の選手」; 言い伝え stresses the act of oral transmission.
• Synonym伝承でんしょうNeutralHanding down customs, skills and stories across generations, as in 「民間伝承」; stresses the act and content of that inheritance.
• SynonymレジェンドNeutralLoanword for a legend or legendary figure; in speech mostly said of people, with a note of admiration.
• Related物語ものがたりNeutralA story or narrative as a shaped work, e.g. 「源氏物語」; stresses the crafted tale itself.
• Related昔話むかしばなしNeutralOld tales and folk tales such as 「桃太郎」; also refers to reminiscences of one's own past.
• Related故事こじNeutralHistorical episodes with a lesson to teach, as in 「故事成語」; stresses instructive events of the past.
• Related神話しんわNeutralMyths, stories of divine origins; also figuratively an unfounded belief, as in 「安全神話」.
• Related古伝こでんWrittenWritten/formal word for sayings handed down since antiquity; rare, and, unlike 言い伝え, it does not stress oral transmission.
• Related伝えつたえNeutralNative word for words or customs handed down; rarely used alone, and, unlike 言い伝え, it does not stress oral transmission.
• Related伝え話つたえばなしNeutralTales passed down orally through the generations, very close to 言い伝え; a descriptive phrase used less often, with more weight on the story itself.
• Related口碑こうひWrittenWritten term for oral tradition; the same idea as 言い伝え but more formal.
• Related民間伝承みんかんでんしょうNeutralUmbrella term for the stories, customs and knowledge handed down among the common people; the folklore-studies term.
• Related先祖伝承せんぞでんしょうNeutralStories and sayings handed down from one's ancestors, very close to 言い伝え; a descriptive, less common term stressing the ancestral origin.
• Related奇譚きたんWrittenWritten/formal term for strange, mysterious tales, as in 「奇譚集」; stresses the bizarre content, not oral transmission.

Use 「言い伝え」 for sayings and beliefs handed down by word of mouth, as in 「村の言い伝え」. For the tale itself say 「伝説」, for the act of handing down 「伝承」, for folk tales 「昔話」, for stories of the gods 「神話」, and in formal writing 「口碑」. 「物語」 is a narrative work, 「故事」 an instructive old episode, 「レジェンド」 a legendary person; the rest are rarer or specialized terms.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 昔むかしから人々ひとびとの口くちから口くちへ伝つたえられてきたこと。また、そのような話はなし。伝説でんせつ。伝承でんしょう。口碑こうひ。
2. 言伝ことづてて。伝言でんごん。