The character 言 — “word”: how to write it and what it means
word, speech
The Chinese character 言 is read yán and means “word, speech”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 言
言 has 7 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 言, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 言 is made of
At the side of a character it shrinks to 讠.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 言
- 语言languageHSK 3
- 留言leave a messageHSK 5
- 发言speak (at a meeting)HSK 5
- 方言dialectHSK 6
- 言语speech, wordsHSK 6
- 自言自语talk to oneselfHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 言?
言 has 7 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 言 mean?
言 means “word, speech”. It appears in 语言 (“language”), 留言 (“leave a message”), 发言 (“speak”), 方言 (“dialect”).
How do you pronounce 言?
言 is read yán. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 言 have?
7 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 言 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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