话 huà speech
speech; words; language; dialect
How to remember 话: 讠 words + 舌 tongue = speech. The words get stuck on the nervous student's tongue halfway through her graduation speech.
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
originally 言 + 𠯑
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
话 = 讠 words + 舌 tongue
- 讠 words meaning
- 舌 tongue shape only
The words get stuck on the nervous student's tongue halfway through her graduation speech.
How it came to be
In the full form, words give the meaning; the right part only looks like a tongue and once gave the sound.
How it is used
- Speech / words / language: 说话 (shuōhuà) to talk, 电话 (diànhuà) telephone, 普通话 (pǔtōnghuà) Mandarin.
- A spoken dialect or language is …话: 上海话 (Shànghǎihuà) Shanghainese; 的话 (dehuà) tacked on to a clause means if.
Words with 话
- 说话shuōhuàto talkHSK 1
- 打电话dǎdiànhuàmake a phone callHSK 1
- 电话diànhuàtelephoneHSK 1
- 对话duìhuàdialogueHSK 3
- 的话dehuàif (coming after a conditional clause)HSK 3
- 笑话xiàohuajokeHSK 4
- 普通话pǔtōnghuàMandarin (common language)HSK 4
- 话剧huàjùstage playHSK 4
- 神话shénhuàlegendHSK 5
- 讲话jiǎnghuàa speechHSK 5
- 话费huàfèicall chargeHSK 5
- 话题huàtísubject (of a talk or conversation)HSK 5
- 谈话tánhuàto talk (with somebody)HSK 5
- 听话tīnghuàto do what one is toldHSK 6
- 实话shíhuàtruthHSK 6
- 童话tónghuàchildren's fairy talesHSK 6
- 话筒huàtǒngmicrophoneHSK 6
- 通话tōnghuàto hold a conversationHSK 6
- 不像话búxiànghuàunreasonableHSK 7
- 实话实说shíhuà-shíshuōto tell the truthHSK 7
- 无话可说wúhuà-kěshuōto have nothing to say (idiom)HSK 7
- 话语huàyǔwordsHSK 7
- 俗话súhuàcommon sayingHSK 8
- 废话fèihuànonsenseHSK 8
- 谎话huǎnghuàlieHSK 9
- 闲话xiánhuàcasual conversationHSK 9
Example sentences
- 我明天打电话给你。 Wǒ míngtiān dǎ diànhuà gěi nǐ.I'll call you tomorrow.
- 双方开始了对话。 Shuāngfāng kāishǐle duìhuà.The two sides started a conversation.
- 刚才有你的电话。 Gāngcái yǒu nǐ de diànhuà.You received a call a short while ago.
- 我不理解你说的话。 Wǒ bù lǐjiě nǐ shuō de huà.I don't understand what you said.