The character 语 — “language”: how to write it and what it means
language, speech
The Chinese character 语 is read yǔ and means “language, 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 语
语 has 9 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 语, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 语 is made of
On the left, 讠 “speech”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 语
- 汉语Chinese languageHSK 1
- 外语foreign languageHSK 3
- 语言languageHSK 3
- 口语spoken languageHSK 4
- 词语words and expressionsHSK 4
- 语法grammarHSK 4
- 语音phonetics; voice messageHSK 5
- 语文native language (school subject)HSK 5
- 语气tone, intonationHSK 5
- 母语native languageHSK 6
- 成语chengyu, idiomHSK 6
- 言语speech, wordsHSK 6
- 自言自语talk to oneselfHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 语?
语 has 9 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 语 mean?
语 means “language, speech”. It appears in 汉语 (“Chinese language”), 外语 (“foreign language”), 语言 (“language”), 口语 (“spoken language”).
How do you pronounce 语?
语 is read yǔ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 语 have?
9 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 语 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.
Start for free