話 meaning and stroke order
Talk, speech; language, dialect
How to write 話, stroke by stroke
13 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 話
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- dialect
- language
- spoken words
- speech
- talk
- words
How 話 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A spoken 言 tongue 舌; 舌 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 言 (words), shared by 155 characters on this site.
How to remember 話
話 puts 言 (speech) next to 舌 (tongue). When your tongue moves to make speech, you are talking, and 舌 also hints at the sound.
話 (huà) means words, talk, or a language or dialect, and it appears in many everyday words like 說話 (shuōhuà, to speak) and 電話 (diànhuà, telephone). Example: 他會說廣東話。(Tā huì shuō Guǎngdōng huà.) He can speak Cantonese.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the right side as 古 or 舍 instead of 舌; it should be 千 over 口. Also note that in 笑话 (xiàohua) the 话 is often read in the neutral tone, not a full fourth tone.
Common words with 話
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 電話 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call | HSK 1 |
| 說話 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say | HSK 1 |
| 打電話 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call | HSK 1 |
| 的話 | dehuà | if (coming after a conditional clause) | HSK 2 |
| 講話 | jiǎnghuà | a speech; to speak | HSK 2 |
| 笑話 | xiàohua | joke; jest; to laugh at; to mock | HSK 2 |
| 對話 | duìhuà | to talk (with sb); dialogue; conversation | HSK 2 |
| 普通話 | pǔtōnghuà | Putonghua; standard Mandarin | HSK 2 |
| 笑話兒 | xiàohuar | erhua form of 笑話|笑话[xiao4 hua5] | HSK 2 |
| 談話 | tánhuà | to talk (with sb); to have a conversation | HSK 3 |
| 話題 | huàtí | subject (of a talk or conversation); topic | HSK 3 |
| 話劇 | huàjù | stage play; modern drama | HSK 3 |
| 神話 | shénhuà | legend; fairy tale | HSK 4 |
| 童話 | tónghuà | children's fairy tales | HSK 4 |
Questions about 話
How many strokes are in 話?
話 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 話 mean?
話 (huà) means talk, speech; language, dialect. A common word with it is 电话 (diànhuà), meaning "telephone; phone call".
How do you pronounce 話?
話 is pronounced huà, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 話?
The radical of 話 is 言, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 話 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 話?
話 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 话, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 話 and 话?
They are the same character. 話 is the form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and 话 is the simplified form used in mainland China, where 言 on the left is written as 讠.
How do I use 的话 to say if?
Put 的话 (dehuà) at the end of a condition clause, often with 如果 (rúguǒ) at the start. For example, 如果你忙的话，我明天再来。(Rúguǒ nǐ máng dehuà, wǒ míngtiān zài lái.) If you are busy, I will come back tomorrow.