Meaning of 说话
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to speak
- to say
- to talk
- to gossip
- to tell stories
- talk
- word
How to use 说话
说话 is a verb-object word meaning to talk or speak in general. Because 话 is already the object, you usually do not add another object after it. Example: 他不喜欢说话。 (Tā bù xǐhuan shuōhuà.) He doesn't like to talk.
Both 说 (shuō) and 话 (huà) have the speech radical 讠 on the left, so the word is literally speech plus speech. Think of it as "say words": 说 is the action and 话 is the words that come out.
Common mistake: Learners often say 说话中文 for "speak Chinese". The correct form is 说中文 (shuō Zhōngwén), because 说话 already contains its object. Also keep 话 in the fourth tone, huà, not huā.
说话 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.
说 shuō · to speak · 9 strokes
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- 9
话 huà · dialect · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 说话.
| 电话 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 的话 | dehuà | if (coming after a conditional clause) |
| 听说 | tīngshuō | to hear (sth said); one hears (that) |
| 说明 | shuōmíng | to explain; to illustrate |
| 讲话 | jiǎnghuà | a speech; to speak |
| 笑话 | xiàohua | joke; jest; to laugh at; to mock |
| 小说 | xiǎoshuō | novel; fiction |
| 对话 | duìhuà | to talk (with sb); dialogue; conversation |
| 比如说 | bǐrú shuō | for example |
| 普通话 | pǔtōnghuà | Putonghua; standard Mandarin |
| 笑话儿 | xiàohuar | erhua form of 笑話|笑话[xiao4 hua5] |
Questions about 说话
What does 说话 mean?
说话 (shuōhuà) means "to speak; to say".
How do you write 说话?
说话 is made of 2 characters: 说 (9 strokes), 话 (8 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 说话 an HSK word?
Yes. 说话 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 说话 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 说话 is written 說話.
How do I say "talk to someone" with 说话?
Put the person before the verb with 跟 or 和: 我想跟你说话。 (Wǒ xiǎng gēn nǐ shuōhuà.) I want to talk to you. Do not put the person after 说话.
What is the difference between 说话 and 讲话?
说话 is the everyday word for talking or speaking. 讲话 (jiǎnghuà) can also mean to speak, but it is often used for giving a speech or formal remarks, and it can be a noun meaning "a speech".