口语

• Pinyin: kǒu yǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 口 = mouth (speech); 语 = 讠(speech radical) + 吾 (I/self, phonetic) — one's own spoken language

Meaning

Spoken language; colloquial speech; oral Chinese. Refers to the informal, spoken form of a language as distinct from written or formal language.

Used in language learning to describe spoken, conversational language as opposed to 书面语 (written language) or 正式用语 (formal language). Also used as an attributive: 口语课 (speaking class), 口语考试 (oral exam), 口语水平 (speaking proficiency). Very common in educational and language-learning contexts.

Examples

1. 他的口语很流利，和外国人交流没有问题。 His spoken Chinese is very fluent — communicating with foreigners is no problem for him.
2. 我每天练习口语，希望能提高听说能力。 I practise speaking every day, hoping to improve my listening and speaking ability.
3. 口语和书面语在表达方式上有很大区别。 There are big differences in expression between spoken language and written language.

Usage Guide

Context: education, language learning, everyday

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 你的口语进步很大。(Your spoken language has improved a lot.)
• 这个词在口语中很常用。(This word is very commonly used in spoken language.)

Don't Say

• 我写了口语 (Don't say 写了口语 — 口语 is spoken language and cannot be written; if you mean you practised speaking, say 我练习了口语; if you mean colloquial writing, say 口语化的表达)

Origin & History

A compound of 口 (mouth — representing speech) and 语 (language; words), together meaning language that comes from the mouth — spoken or colloquial language.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal