电话

• Pinyin: diàn huà
• Hanzi breakdown: 电 (electricity) + 话 (speech, words) — electric speech, i.e. telephone

Meaning

Telephone; phone call. Refers to both the device and the act of calling.

Used for the device (电话在哪里, where is the phone) and for calls (打电话, make a phone call; 接电话, answer the phone). 手机 is more specific for cellphones, while 电话 covers all phones and phone calls.

Examples

1. 你的电话号码是多少？ What is your phone number?
2. 我给你打电话。 I'll give you a call.
3. 有人打电话找你。 Someone called looking for you.

Usage Guide

Context: communication, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请给我打个电话。(Please give me a call.)
• 你的电话号码是多少？(What's your phone number?)

Don't Say

• 我电话你 (电话 cannot be used as a verb — say 我给你打电话 for 'I'll call you')

Origin & History

Compound of 电 (electricity) and 话 (speech, words) — speech transmitted by electricity.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal