Meaning of 汉语
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- Chinese language
How to use 汉语
汉语 is the standard word for the Chinese language in learning and formal contexts, and it often appears with verbs like 学 (xué, to study) and 说 (shuō, to speak). Example: 我在学汉语。(Wǒ zài xué Hànyǔ.) I am studying Chinese.
汉 (Hàn) is the name of the Han people, the largest ethnic group in China, and 语 (yǔ) means language, with the speech radical 讠 on the left. Put them together and you get the language of the Han people: 汉语, Chinese.
Common mistake: Learners often write 汉 with 又 on the right but forget the three-dot water radical 氵 on the left. Learners also sometimes say 汉语 in the neutral tone at the end, but 语 keeps its third tone: Hànyǔ.
汉语 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
汉 hàn · Chinese people · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
语 yǔ · words · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 汉语.
| 外语 | wàiyǔ | foreign language |
| 汉字 | Hànzì | Chinese character(s) |
| 英语 | Yīngyǔ | English (language) |
| 语言 | yǔyán | language |
| 词语 | cíyǔ | word (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases); term (e.g. technical |
| 语音 | yǔyīn | speech sounds; pronunciation |
| 语法 | yǔfǎ | grammar; (computing) syntax |
| 口语 | kǒuyǔ | colloquial speech; spoken language |
| 言语 | yányǔ | words; speech |
| 成语 | chéngyǔ | Chinese set expression, typically of 4 characters, often alluding to a story or historical |
| 华语 | Huáyǔ | Chinese language |
| 法语 | Fǎyǔ | French (language) |
Questions about 汉语
What does 汉语 mean?
汉语 (Hànyǔ) means "Chinese language" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 汉语?
汉语 is made of 2 characters: 汉 (5 strokes), 语 (9 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 汉语 an HSK word?
Yes. 汉语 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 汉语 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 汉语 is written 漢語.
What is the difference between 汉语 and 中文?
Both mean Chinese and are often interchangeable. 汉语 focuses on the spoken and studied language, while 中文 (Zhōngwén) is common for written Chinese, such as books, websites, and subtitles.
Is 汉语 the same as 普通话?
Not exactly. 汉语 is the whole Chinese language, including dialects like Cantonese. 普通话 (Pǔtōnghuà) is Standard Mandarin, the official spoken form that most learners study.