语 yǔ language
language; speech
How to remember 语: 讠 words + 吾 yours truly = language. After a month in Madrid the exchange student grins "Ten new words a day, and now yours truly speaks the language!"
Component breakdown
语 = 讠 words + 吾 yours truly
- 讠 words
- 吾 yours truly
After a month in Madrid the exchange student grins "Ten new words a day, and now yours truly speaks the language!"
How it is used
- The 'spoken language / speech' morpheme - 汉语 (Hànyǔ) Chinese, 外语 (wàiyǔ) foreign language, 口语 (kǒuyǔ) colloquial speech.
- Versus 文 (wén, the written side): 语 emphasizes what's spoken and how it sounds, e.g. 语气 (yǔqì) tone of voice, 语法 (yǔfǎ) grammar.
- 语言 (yǔyán) is the general noun 'language'; 词语 (cíyǔ) means words and phrases as vocabulary.
Words with 语
- 汉语hànyǔChinese MandarinHSK 1
- 语言yǔyánlanguageHSK 3
- 外语wàiyǔforeign languageHSK 3
- 词语cíyǔwords and expressionsHSK 4
- 语法yǔfǎgrammarHSK 4
- 口语kǒuyǔcolloquial speechHSK 4
- 语文yǔwénliterature and languageHSK 5
- 语气yǔqìtoneHSK 5
- 语音yǔyīnspeech soundsHSK 5
- 成语chéngyǔset phrase of four charactersHSK 6
- 母语mǔyǔnative languageHSK 6
- 自言自语zìyán-zìyǔto talk to oneselfHSK 6
- 言语yányǔwordsHSK 6
- 标语biāoyǔwritten sloganHSK 7
- 欢声笑语huānshēng-xiàoyǔcheers and laughterHSK 7
- 话语huàyǔwordsHSK 7
- 俗语súyǔcommon sayingHSK 8
- 谜语míyǔriddleHSK 9
Example sentences
- 你会说汉语吗？ Nǐ huì shuō Hànyǔ ma?Can you speak Chinese?
- 你能说汉语吗？ Nǐ néng shuō Hànyǔ ma?Can you speak Chinese?
- 汉语的词语很多。 Hànyǔ de cíyǔ hěn duō.The Chinese language has many words and expressions.
- 你会说几种语言？ Nǐ huì shuō jǐ zhǒng yǔyán?How many languages do you speak?