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语

2 readings · tap one to hear it

dialect; language; speech

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HSK 3.0
Level 1
Old HSK
Level 1
Strokes
9
Radical
言 +7
Structure
Left–right 左右
Traditional
語
Common rank
#84
Unicode
U+8BED

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

How 语 is formed

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

讠 meaning “words” + 吾 sound ( wú )

Components 讠 吾

How to remember it

language · Heisig RSH #356

吾 I (literary) + words

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Words with 语

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

WordPinyinMeaning
外语 wài yǔ foreign language; CL:門|门[men2]
汉语 Hàn yǔ Chinese language
一语不发 yī yǔ bù fā to not say a word (idiom)
中心语 zhōng xīn yǔ qualified word
马拉地语 Mǎ lā dì yǔ Marathi language of west India
上海外国语大学 Shàng hǎi Wài guó yǔ Dà xué Shanghai International Studies University (SISU)
西安外国语大学 Xī ān Wài guó yǔ Dà xué Xi'an International Studies University (XISU)
不语 bù yǔ (literary) not to speak
国语 Guó yǔ Chinese language (Mandarin), emphasizing its national nature; Chinese as a primary or seco…
无语 wú yǔ to remain silent; to have nothing to say; (coll.) speechless; dumbfounded
口头语 kǒu tóu yǔ pet phrase; regularly used expression; manner of speaking
自语 zì yǔ to talk to oneself
家语 Jiā yǔ The School Sayings of Confucius (abbr. for 孔子家語|孔子家语[Kong3 zi3 Jia1 yu3])
不言不语 bù yán bù yǔ to not say a word (idiom); to keep silent
巴斯克语 Bā sī kè yǔ Basque (language)
行语 háng yǔ slang; jargon; cant; lingo; patois; argot
义大利语 Yì dà lì yǔ (Tw) Italian (language)
花语 huā yǔ the language of flowers; symbolic meaning associated with a flower
外国语 wài guó yǔ foreign language
手语 shǒu yǔ sign language

Sound family

Characters sharing the sound component 吾 — compare how they read.

CharacterPinyinMeaning
吾 sound part wú I, my, our; to resist, to impede
悟 wù to apprehend, to realize, to become aware
晤 wù to meet; to interview with
梧 wú Chinese parasol tree, Sterculia platanifolia
衙 yá public office; official residence
圄 yǔ prison, jail
鼯 wú flying squirrel
寤 wù few, scarce; empty, deserted
牾 wǔ to gore; to oppose
俉 wú scary; to frighten
痦 wù spot, mole, birthmark
龉 yǔ uneven teeth; to disagree
唔 wú to hold in the mouth; bite
浯 wú a river in Shandong province
焐 wù to warm up