Originally, rakugo referred to otoshi-banashi, performances which were humorous and had a punchline, but at present, rakugo is used as a general term which includes otoshi-banashi, ninjo-banashi (a story with human interest), and shibai-banashi (a story with an element of drama).
本来「落語」とは落語家が行う演目（ネタ）のなかでも滑稽を中心とし、落ちを持つ「落とし噺」（おとしばなし）のことを指したが、現在では人情噺・芝居噺をも含めた総称として用いられる。