Meaning of 语音
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- speech sounds
- pronunciation
- colloquial (rather than literary) pronunciation of a Chinese character
- phonetic
- audio
- voice
- (Internet) to voice chat
- voice message
How to use 语音
In study settings 语音 means pronunciation or phonetics, as in 语音课 (yǔyīn kè) pronunciation class. In daily life it is very common for voice messages and voice chat on apps like WeChat. Example: 我给你发个语音。(Wǒ gěi nǐ fā ge yǔyīn.) I'll send you a voice message.
语 (yǔ) means language or words, and 音 (yīn) means sound. Put them together and you get the sounds of language: speech, pronunciation, or a voice message.
Common mistake: Learners often use 语音 when they mean 声音 (shēngyīn). 声音 is any sound or a person's voice quality, while 语音 is speech sound, pronunciation, or a recorded voice message. Also keep 语 in third tone (yǔ), not fourth.
语音 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.
语 yǔ · words · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
音 yīn · sound · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 语音.
| 外语 | wàiyǔ | foreign language |
| 汉语 | Hànyǔ | Chinese language |
| 声音 | shēngyīn | sound; voice |
| 音乐 | yīnyuè | music |
| 英语 | Yīngyǔ | English (language) |
| 语言 | yǔyán | language |
| 音乐会 | yīnyuèhuì | concert |
| 词语 | cíyǔ | word (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases); term (e.g. technical |
| 音节 | yīnjié | syllable |
| 读音 | dúyīn | pronunciation; literary (rather than colloquial) pronunciation of a Chinese character |
| 录音 | lùyīn | to record sound; an audio recording (CL:段[duan4]) |
| 收音机 | shōuyīnjī | radio |
Questions about 语音
What does 语音 mean?
语音 (yǔyīn) means "speech sounds; pronunciation" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 语音?
语音 is made of 2 characters: 语 (9 strokes), 音 (9 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 语音 an HSK word?
Yes. 语音 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 语音 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 语音 is written 語音.
How do you say 'voice message' and 'voice call' on WeChat in Chinese?
A voice message is 语音 or 语音消息 (yǔyīn xiāoxi), and you 发语音 (fā yǔyīn) to send one. A voice call is 语音通话 (yǔyīn tōnghuà), while a video call is 视频通话 (shìpín tōnghuà).
What is the difference between 语音 and 发音?
发音 (fāyīn) focuses on how a person pronounces something, as in 你的发音很好 (your pronunciation is good). 语音 is broader and more technical, covering the sound system of a language, as in 汉语语音 (Chinese phonetics), plus audio and voice features.