文 wén — language; culture; writing; formal; literary
这篇文章写得很好。Zhè piān wén zhāng xiě de hěn hǎo.This article is well written.
Common words: 课文 (kè wén)、作文 (zuò wén)、文件 (wén jiàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "language"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "language", including 文 (wén), 话 (huà), 语 (yǔ / yù). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "language" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 文 (wén), 话 (huà), 语 (yǔ / yù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wén, huà, yǔ, yù — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 文 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 文 wénlanguage; culture; writing; formal; literaryUseful words: 课文, 作文
- 话 huàdialect; language; spoken words; speech; talk; wordsUseful words: 电话, 说话
- 语 yǔ / yùdialect; language; speech; tell toUseful words: 外语, 语言
Common words for these 3 "language" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 文 (wén) — so "language" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
课文kè wéntext作文zuò wénto write an essay; composition (student essay)文件wén jiàndocument; file电话diàn huàtelephone; phone call; phone number说话shuō huàto speak; to say; to talk; to gossip打电话dǎ diàn huàto make a telephone call外语wài yǔforeign language语言yǔ yánlanguage词语cí yǔword (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases); term (e.g. technical term); expression
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "language".
话 huà — dialect; language; spoken words; speech; talk; words
他说的话我都听懂了。Tā shuō de huà wǒ dōu tīng dǒng le.I understood everything he said.
Common words: 电话 (diàn huà)、说话 (shuō huà)、打电话 (dǎ diàn huà)
语 yǔ / yù — dialect; language; speech; tell to
汉语是世界上使用人数最多的语言。Hàn yǔ shì shì jiè shàng shǐ yòng rén shù zuì duō de yǔ yán.Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world.
Common words: 外语 (wài yǔ)、语言 (yǔ yán)、词语 (cí yǔ)
All 3 characters
Open 文、话、语 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.