话

• Pinyin: huà
• Hanzi breakdown: 话 = 讠(speech radical) + 舌 (tongue) — spoken words formed by the tongue

Meaning

Words; speech; language. Refers to spoken words or a language/dialect.

Appears in many common compounds: 说话 (to speak), 电话 (telephone), 普通话 (Mandarin), 笑话 (joke). As a standalone noun, it means spoken words or things said. 说话 is the most frequent usage at beginner level.

Examples

1. 请你说慢一点，我听不懂你的话。 Please speak slowly, I don't understand your words.
2. 他说了很多话。 He said a lot of things.
3. 你会说普通话吗？ Can you speak Mandarin?

Usage Guide

Context: communication, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你的话我听懂了。(I understood what you said.)
• 我要给你打个电话。(I'm going to give you a phone call.)

Don't Say

• 我话了他。(话 is a noun, not a verb — say 我跟他说话了 for 'I talked to him')

Origin & History

Contains 讠(言, speech radical) on the left and 舌 (tongue) on the right — words formed by the tongue.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal