Terms of Service

Last updated 20 October 2026

These terms are an agreement between you and Hanashi. By creating an account or using Hanashi you accept them and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the service.

1. Eligibility

During beta, learners must be at least 16 and Senseis must be at least 18. You must be legally permitted to use Hanashi where you live. One person, one account. Keep your sign-in secure; you are responsible for what happens under your account.

2. What Hanashi is

Hanashi connects you for live conversations with other members (“Senseis” and learners), with live captions, translation and learning tools. Senseis are independent members, not our employees or certified teachers. We do not guarantee any particular learning result, and a conversation may end early because of connection or provider problems.

3. AI features

Captions, translations and learning suggestions are generated automatically and can be wrong, incomplete or unexpected. Do not rely on them for medical, legal, financial or safety decisions.

4. How you must behave

You must not:

You can end a call at any time, and block or report anyone. We may review reports, remove content, and suspend or close accounts that break these terms, and we cooperate with law enforcement where the law requires it. If you are in danger, contact local emergency services first.

5. Your content

You own what you say and share. You give us a limited licence to process it only to run the service, for example to show captions, translate, and create recaps. Registered calls require one acknowledgment of mandatory written transcript retention. Hanashi saves both participants’ finalized original speech and translations for 30 days from call start, including interrupted or failed calls. Authorized personnel may review this text for safety, disputes and translation-quality improvement. Audio and video are not recorded under this policy. Hiding subtitles or disabling optional Learning Memory does not stop required text capture; microphone mute stops capture of your speech. Only material policy changes require renewed acknowledgment. You are responsible for what you share.

6. Hanashi Points and payments

Where enabled, learners purchase Hanashi Points through Stripe before a call. The base purchase rate is 100 Points per US$1; packs may offer savings, and the exact Points quantity and USD price are shown before Checkout. Points can only be spent inside Hanashi, belong to one learner, cannot be transferred, withdrawn or redeemed for cash, and are never paid to Senseis. Promotional Points are funded by Hanashi. The welcome grant is shown at signup and claimed through SMS verification. Each verified phone number may claim it once, permanently, across all accounts. Signup and paid purchases do not require SMS verification. It can cover a 15- or 30-minute conversation priced within that grant; higher-priced calls require additional Points. Extensions are charged separately. Existing first-call promises remain honored.

Senseis set separate 15- and 30-minute prices in Japanese yen. Learners see the corresponding Points price before booking or starting a call. Booking reserves Points and preserves the agreed price. Mutually accepted extensions debit the displayed Points immediately; no Checkout interrupts a call. Eligible booking cancellation or service failure returns Points to the learner ledger. Historical package purchases retain their original refund treatment, and eligible refunds of original purchases remain linked to their original payment. Nothing here limits rights under consumer protection law.

Sensei earnings are recorded separately in yen. Commission starts at 15% for founding Senseis and 20% standard; the configured rate and net earnings are shown with pricing. Earnings have a seven-day hold and monthly payouts on the 5th, with no minimum payout. Hanashi funds promotions, and existing recruitment bonus agreements remain unchanged.

7. Our service

Hanashi is in early access. We may change, pause or discontinue features. We own the Hanashi name, design and software. You may close your account at any time by contacting isaac@hanashi.chat.

8. Disclaimers and liability

To the extent the law allows, the service is provided “as is”, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for the conduct of other members. Our total liability to you is limited to the greater of the amount you paid us in the previous 12 months or HK$100. Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded, such as for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or fraud.

9. Changes, law and contact

We may update these terms and will tell you in the app before material changes take effect; continuing to use Hanashi afterwards means you accept them. These terms are governed by the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and its courts have jurisdiction, except where your local consumer law gives you the right to bring a claim where you live. Questions: isaac@hanashi.chat.