話 (huà) - Speech, words, talk, language & to speak, to talk

話Tone 4

huà ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

話 · huà

Speech, words, talk, language;

to speak, to talk;

a dialect;

story, tale.

Speech, words, talk, languageto speak, to talka dialect

Usage highlights

SpeechConversationTelephoneFairy taleJokeDialect

Synonyms

  • 语— language, speech
  • 言— words, speech
  • 说— to speak, to say

Antonyms

  • 默— silent, mute
  • 静— quiet, still

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He gave a speech (讲话).
  • This is a fairy tale (童话).
  • We need to have a good talk (好好谈话).
  • What language do you speak?(你说什么话?)

Collocations

  • Speech(讲话)
  • Conversation(对话)
  • Telephone(电话)
  • Fairy tale(童话)
  • Joke(笑话)
  • Dialect(方言)

Idioms

  • Straight from the horse's mouth(话出有因)
  • Speak of the devil(说曹操曹操到)
  • Empty talk(空话连篇)
  • Talk nonsense(胡说八道)
  • Heart-to-heart talk(谈心)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Represents both spoken language and written discourse in Chinese culture.
  • Associated with communication, storytelling, and cultural transmission.
  • Used in many compound words related to different types of speech and communication.

FAQ