言 (yán): words, speech, to say
言 (yán) is a Chinese character meaning “words.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 亠 (structural). It ranks #355 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 言 a tongue sticking out of a mouth 口. Its radical form 讠 (speech) appears in many related characters such as 认 (rèn, to recognize, to admit), 记 (jì, to remember, to record), 识 (shí, to know, knowledge).
Definitions
- words
- speech
- to say
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA tongue sticking out of a mouth 口
Decomposition: ⿱亠⿱二口 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 言 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 言
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 留言verb/noun | liú yán | to leave a message | 5 |
| 语言noun | yǔ yán | language | 3 |
| 发言verb/noun | fā yán | to make a speech | 5 |
| 言语noun | yán yǔ | words | 6 |
| 自言自语 | zì yán zì yǔ | (idiom) to talk to oneself | 6 |
| 方言noun | fāng yán | topolect | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 而言 | ér yán | (typically preceded by 就…[jiu4 xx5] or 對…|对…[dui4 xx5] etc) as far as ... is concerned |
| 谎言 | huǎng yán | lie |
| 预言 | yù yán | to predict |
| 谣言 | yáo yán | rumor |
| 誓言 | shì yán | to pledge |
| 诺言 | nuò yán | promise |
| 传言 | chuán yán | rumor |
| 言论 | yán lùn | expression of opinion |
| 直言 | zhí yán | to speak forthrightly |
| 可言 | kě yán | it may be said |
| 宣言 | xuān yán | declaration |
| 遗言 | yí yán | words of the deceased |
| 流言 | liú yán | rumor |
| 言行 | yán xíng | words and actions |
| 名言 | míng yán | saying |
言 appears in 100 compound words: 15 as the first character, 84 as the last, and 1 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 言 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (80)
to read a person (to interpret or infer a meaning or significance based on facial expression, tone of voice etc)
Showing 12 of 80 idioms containing 言.
Example Sentences
言语是交流思想的重要工具。
yán yǔ shì jiāo liú sī xiǎng de chóng yāo gōng jù .
Language is an important tool for communicating ideas.
女总裁秘恋陈子强“金援数百万” 画作、代言全买单...突然遭断联
nǚ zǒng cái mì liàn chén zǐ qiáng jīn yuán shǔ bǎi wàn huà zuò , dài yán quán mǎi dān . . . tū rán zāo duàn lián
The female president secretly loves Chen Ziqiang's "millions of financial aid" paintings and endorsements are all paid... Suddenly disconnected
...三天能饮酒?车厘子含褪黑素可助眠?科学流言榜最新辟谣
. . . sān tiān néng yǐn jiǔ ? chē lí zǐ hán 褪 hēi sù kě zhù mián ? kē xué liú yán bǎng zuì xīn pì yáo
... Can you drink alcohol in three days? Can cherries contain melatonin to help you sleep? The latest rumors on the scientific rumor list
外交部长:要用尊重的语言与伊朗人民对话
wài jiāo bù cháng : yāo yòng zūn chóng de yǔ yán yǔ yī lǎng rén mín duì huà
Foreign Minister: We must dialogue with the Iranian people in respectful language
...线遇孩童狂踢椅背 近7成日本人选择忍?坦言是怕“他们”
. . . xiàn yù hái tóng kuáng tī yǐ bèi jìn 7 chéng rì běn rén xuǎn zé rěn ? tǎn yán shì pà tā men
... Nearly 70% of Japanese people choose to endure? Frankly said that he was afraid of "them"
“我该做什么呢？”我自言自语道。
"Wǒ gāi zuò shénme ne?" wǒ zìyánzìyǔ dào.
"What shall I do?" I said to myself.
你怎么可能会说这种语言？
Nǐ zěnme kěnéng huì shuō zhèzhǒng yǔyán?
How come you're able to speak this language?
瑞士人是说什么语言的？
Ruìshìrén shì shuō shénme yǔyán de?
What language do they speak in Switzerland?
我不信谣言。你信吗？
Wǒ bù xìn yáoyán. nǐ xìn ma?
I don't believe the rumours. Do you believe them?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 言 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 言 with real-time feedback
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