语 meaning and stroke order
Words, language; saying, expression
How to write 语, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 4
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- 9
Meaning of 语
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- dialect
- language
- speech
- (literary) to tell; to let (sb) know
How 语 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Words.
讠 gives the meaning and 吾 hints at the sound.
Radical: 讠 (words), shared by 144 characters on this site.
How to remember 语
语 is built from 讠 (speech) on the left and 吾 (wú, an old word for "I") on the right. Picture yourself, 吾, putting your thoughts into speech, 讠, and you get words and language.
语 (yǔ) rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It usually appears in words for languages and speech, such as 汉语 (Hànyǔ), 英语 (Yīngyǔ), and 语法 (yǔfǎ). Example: 我在学汉语。(Wǒ zài xué Hànyǔ.) I am learning Chinese.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 语 (yǔ) with 话 (huà), since both use the 讠 radical and relate to speech. 语 names a language as a system, as in 英语, while 话 is used for speech or talk, as in 说话 (shuōhuà, to speak).
Common words with 语
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 外语 | wàiyǔ | foreign language | HSK 1 |
| 汉语 | Hànyǔ | Chinese language | HSK 1 |
| 英语 | Yīngyǔ | English (language) | HSK 2 |
| 语言 | yǔyán | language | HSK 2 |
| 词语 | cíyǔ | word (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases); term (e.g. technical | HSK 2 |
| 语音 | yǔyīn | speech sounds; pronunciation | HSK 4 |
| 语法 | yǔfǎ | grammar; (computing) syntax | HSK 4 |
| 口语 | kǒuyǔ | colloquial speech; spoken language | HSK 4 |
| 言语 | yányǔ | words; speech | HSK 5 |
| 成语 | chéngyǔ | Chinese set expression, typically of 4 characters, often alluding to a story or historical | HSK 5 |
| 华语 | Huáyǔ | Chinese language | HSK 5 |
| 法语 | Fǎyǔ | French (language) | HSK 6 |
| 西班牙语 | Xībānyáyǔ | Spanish language | HSK 6 |
| 日语 | Rìyǔ | Japanese language | HSK 6 |
语 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 语
How many strokes are in 语?
语 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 语 mean?
语 (yǔ) means words, language; saying, expression. A common word with it is 外语 (wàiyǔ), meaning "foreign language".
How do you pronounce 语?
语 is pronounced yǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 语?
The radical of 语 is 讠, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 语 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 语?
The traditional form of 语 is 語. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 语 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 语 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 语 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 汉语 and 中文?
Both mean Chinese. 汉语 (Hànyǔ) leans toward the spoken language and is the usual term in language classes, while 中文 (Zhōngwén) often suggests the written language. In daily conversation they are mostly interchangeable.
When is 语 pronounced yù instead of yǔ?
The yù reading is literary and means to tell or inform someone. You will meet it mainly in classical texts, so in everyday modern Chinese you can almost always read 语 as yǔ.