Dictionary › 语

语

yǔ

HSK 1 Character Traditional 語

What 语 means

1. dialect
2. language
3. speech

Other readings

语 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• yùto tell; to let (sb) know

Example sentences

• 说英语！
  Speak English.
• 我教英语。
  I teach English.
• 我学英语。
  I study English.
• 用英语说。
  Say it in English.
• 我无语了。
  Words fail me.
• 她说俄语。
  She speaks Russian.

Words starting with 语

• 语言yǔ yánlanguage
• 语法yǔ fǎgrammar
• 语气yǔ qìtone; manner of speaking; mood
• 语文yǔ wénliterature and language; (mainland) Chinese (as a school subject)
• 语音yǔ yīnspeech sounds; pronunciation; colloquial (rather than literary) pronunciation of a…
• 语言学yǔ yán xuélinguistics
• 语调yǔ diàointonation; tone of voice
• 语句yǔ jùsentence
• 语录yǔ lùquotation (from a book or existing source)
• 语种yǔ zhǒnglanguage type (in a classification)
• 语义yǔ yìmeaning of words; semantic
• 语境yǔ jìngcontext
• 语系yǔ xìlanguage family
• 语感yǔ gǎninstinctive feel for the language
• 语重心长yǔ zhòng xīn chángmeaningful and heartfelt words (idiom); sincere and earnest wishes
• 语无伦次yǔ wú lún cìincoherent speech; to talk without rhyme or reason (idiom)
• 语言学家yǔ yán xué jiālinguist
• 语词yǔ cíword; phrase; (old) (grammar) function word
• 语塞yǔ sèto be at a loss for words; speechless
• 语意yǔ yìmeaning; content of speech or writing; semantic
• 语汇yǔ huìvocabulary
• 语声yǔ shēngspoken language; sound of speaking
• 语病yǔ bìngfaulty wording; mispronunciation due to a speech defect
• 语族yǔ zúlanguage branch

Words containing 语

• 汉语Hàn yǔChinese language
• 英语Yīng yǔEnglish (language)
• 词语cí yǔword (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases)…
• 成语chéng yǔChinese set expression, typically of 4 characters, often alluding to a story or…
• 谜语mí yǔriddle; conundrum
• 母语mǔ yǔnative language; mother tongue; (linguistics) parent language
• 外语wài yǔforeign language
• 日语Rì yǔJapanese language
• 法语Fǎ yǔFrench (language)
• 口语kǒu yǔcolloquial speech; spoken language; vernacular language
• 德语Dé yǔGerman (language)
• 话语huà yǔwords; speech; utterance
• 言语yán yǔwords; speech; (spoken) language
• 俄语É yǔRussian (language)
• 国语Guó yǔChinese language (Mandarin), emphasizing its national nature…
• 用语yòng yǔchoice of words; wording; phraseology
• 自言自语zì yán zì yǔ(idiom) to talk to oneself; to think aloud; to soliloquize
• 标语biāo yǔwritten slogan; placard
• 粤语Yuè yǔCantonese language
• 术语shù yǔterm; terminology
• 无语wú yǔto remain silent; to have nothing to say; (colloquial) speechless
• 西班牙语Xī bān yá yǔSpanish language
• 双语shuāng yǔbilingual
• 短语duǎn yǔphrase (grammar)

Characters built on 吾

These share the phonetic component 吾 (wú), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 晤wùto meet (socially)
• 悟wùto comprehend; to apprehend; to become aware
• 唔wúoh (expression of agreement or surprise); (Cantonese) not
• 捂wǔto enclose; to cover with the hand (one's eyes, nose or ears); to cover up (an affair)
• 梧wúSterculia platanifolia
• 痦wù(flat) mole
• 圄yǔprison; to imprison
• 寤wùto awake from sleep

Characters that look like 语

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 请qǐngto ask; to invite; please (do sth)
• 话huàdialect; language; spoken words
• 悟wùto comprehend; to apprehend; to become aware
• 诲huìto teach; to instruct; to induce
• 诶xīsigh (to express regret)
• 谄chǎnto flatter; to cajole

Sounds the same

Read yǔ, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 与(formal) and; together with (linking parallel nouns, verbs, or phrases); (formal) with…
• 雨rain
• 羽feather; 5th note in pentatonic scale
• 屿islet
• 予(literary) to give
• 宇room; universe
• 禹Yu the Great (c. 21st century BC), mythical leader who tamed the floods; surname Yu
• 瑀(chalcedony)
• 圄prison; to imprison
• 敔percussion instrument shaped as a hollow wooden tiger, with serrated strip across the…
• 俣big
• 龉used in 龃龉