语 (yǔ): language
语 (yǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “language.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 讠 (semantic) and 吾 (phonetic). It ranks #493 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 语 words. 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
- language
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 语 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 语
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 语言noun | yǔ yán | language | 3 |
| 语气noun | yǔ qì | tone | 5 |
| 语音noun | yǔ yīn | speech sounds | 5 |
| 言语noun | yán yǔ | words | 6 |
| 词语noun | cí yǔ | word (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases) | 4 |
| 自言自语 | zì yán zì yǔ | (idiom) to talk to oneself | 6 |
| 语法noun | yǔ fǎ | grammar | 4 |
| 外语noun | wài yǔ | foreign language | 3 |
| 母语noun | mǔ yǔ | native language | 6 |
| 语文noun | yǔ wén | literature and language | 5 |
| 口语noun | kǒu yǔ | colloquial speech | 4 |
| 成语noun | chéng yǔ | Chinese set expression, typically of 4 characters, often alluding to a story or historical quotation | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 法语 | fǎ yǔ | French (language) |
| 德语 | dé yǔ | German (language) |
| 俄语 | é yǔ | Russian (language) |
| 话语 | huà yǔ | words |
| 日语 | rì yǔ | Japanese language |
| 标语 | biāo yǔ | written slogan |
| 暗语 | àn yǔ | code word |
| 谜语 | mí yǔ | riddle |
| 俚语 | lǐ yǔ | slang |
| 耳语 | ěr yǔ | to whisper in sb's ear |
| 手语 | shǒu yǔ | sign language |
| 低语 | dī yǔ | mutter |
| 评语 | píng yǔ | comment |
| 短语 | duǎn yǔ | phrase (grammar) |
| 汉语 | hàn yǔ | Chinese language |
语 appears in 100 compound words: 5 as the first character, 95 as the last, and 0 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 语 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (36)
sweet but insincere (usually flattering) speech; slick talk; dishonest rhetoric
The School Sayings of Confucius, a supplement to the Analects; abbr. to 家語|家语[Jia1 yu3]
Showing 12 of 36 idioms containing 语.
Example Sentences
学习一门新语言需要长期坚持，不能急于求成。
Xuéxí yì mén xīn yǔyán xūyào chángqī jiānchí, bùnéng jíyú qiúchéng.
Learning a new language requires long-term persistence; you can't rush for quick results.
军营观察丨一名文职工程师的“匠人心语”
jūn yíng guàn chá 丨 yī míng wén zhí gōng chéng shī de jiàng rén xīn yǔ
Military Camp Insights丨A Civilian Engineer's "Words of a Craftsman"
...肖女“晚年命最好” 有人陪、有钱花、有话语权
. . . xiào nǚ wǎn nián mìng zuì hǎo yǒu rén péi yǒu qián huā yǒu huà yǔ quán
Xiao Nu "enjoys the best fortune in her later years"—with companionship, financial freedom, and influence.
台南山上花园水道博物馆“水语森林”“唧筒象” 成走春新地标
tái nán shān shàng huā yuán shuǐ dào bó wù guǎn shuǐ yǔ sēn lín 唧 tǒng xiàng chéng zǒu chūn xīn dì biāo
Tainan's Shanshang Garden Water Museum: "Forest of Water Whispers" and "Elephant Trumpet" Become New Spring Festival Landmarks
...“ㄋㄨㄥˋ” 正确读音曝!家长愣:小三国语好难啊
. . . zhèng què dòu yīn pù ! jiā cháng lèng xiǎo sān guó yǔ hǎo nán a
"Nǒng" Pronunciation Revealed! Parents Stunned: "Little Three Kingdoms" Is So Hard!
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: Dialogue with the Iranian people in the language of respect
你开始学习英语了吗？
Nǐ kāishǐ xuéxí Yīngyǔ le ma?
Have you begun studying English?
你们对外语感兴趣吗？
Nǐmen duì wàiyǔ gǎn xìngqù ma?
Are you interested in foreign languages?
这儿有人说日语吗？
Zhèr yǒu rén shuō Rìyǔ ma?
Does anyone here speak Japanese?
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?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 语 (yǔ) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 语 and 悟?
How many strokes does 语 have?
What is the radical of 语?
What are the components of 语?
What are common words containing 语?
What characters sound the same as 语 (yǔ)?
Is 语 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 语 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.