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)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "talk"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "talk", including 话 (huà), 言 (yán). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "talk" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 话 (huà), 言 (yán) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span huà, yán — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 话 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 话 huàdialect; language; spoken words; speech; talk; wordsUseful words: 电话, 说话
- 言 yánto speak; to say; talk; wordUseful words: 语言, 发言
Common words for these 2 "talk" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 话 (huà) — so "talk" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 2 ways to say "talk".
言 yán — to speak; to say; talk; word
行动比语言更重要。Xíng dòng bǐ yǔ yán gèng zhòng yào.Actions are more important than words.
Common words: 语言 (yǔ yán)、发言 (fā yán)、留言 (liú yán)
All 2 characters
Open 话、言 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.