话/話 huà — speech, words, what is said; a language or dialect; to talk about

Pinyin

• huà (fourth tone, falling)

speech, words, what is said; a language or dialect; to talk about

Character breakdown

• 讠meaning partno entry yetThe speech radical.
• 舌shape partno entry yetThe received form writes 舌 "tongue" here, which reads well beside the speech radical. The oldest attested form of the word had a different phonetic element, so this is the shape as inherited rather than a strict etymology.

Mnemonic

Speech 讠 with a tongue 舌 beside it — the words as they actually leave the mouth. Learn it inside its phrases rather than alone: 说话 to speak, 打电话 to make a phone call, 普通话 the common speech, 中国话 spoken Chinese, 听话 to be obedient, literally to listen to what is said.

A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.

Words containing 话

• 话/話huà (fourth tone, falling)words, what someone says; speech
• 电话/電話diàn (fourth tone, falling) huà (fourth tone, falling)telephone
• 说话/說話shuōhuà (first tone, high and level)to talk, to speak
• 说实话/說實話shuō (first tone, high and level) shí (second tone, rising) huà (fourth tone, falling)to speak the truth
• 打电话/打電話dǎ (third tone, dipping) diànhuà (fourth tone, falling)to make a phone call
• 讲话/講話jiǎng (third tone, dipping) huà (fourth tone, falling)a speech
• 的话/的話de (neutral tone) huà (fourth tone, falling)if (coming after a conditional clause)
• 普通话/普通話pǔtōnghuà (third tone, dipping)Mandarin, standard spoken Chinese
• 话题/話題huà (fourth tone, falling) tí (second tone, rising)subject (of a talk or conversation)
• 一句话/一句話yī (first tone, high and level) jù (fourth tone, falling) huà (fourth tone, falling)in a word
• 谈话/談話tán (second tone, rising) huà (fourth tone, falling)to talk (with sb)
• 对话/對話duì (fourth tone, falling) huà (fourth tone, falling)dialog
• 实话/實話shí (second tone, rising) huà (fourth tone, falling)truth
• 笑话/笑話xiào (fourth tone, falling) huà (fourth tone, falling)joke
• 通话/通話tōng (first tone, high and level) huà (fourth tone, falling)to hold a conversation
• 神话/神話shén (second tone, rising) huà (fourth tone, falling)legend
• 童话/童話tóng (second tone, rising) huà (fourth tone, falling)children's fairy tales
• 废话/廢話fèi (fourth tone, falling) huà (fourth tone, falling)nonsense
• 听话/聽話tīng (first tone, high and level) huà (fourth tone, falling)to do what one is told
• 话语/話語huà (fourth tone, falling) yǔ (third tone, dipping)words
• 话剧/話劇huà (fourth tone, falling) jù (fourth tone, falling)stage play
• 话筒/話筒huà (fourth tone, falling) tǒng (third tone, dipping)microphone
• 无话可说/無話可說wú (second tone, rising) huà (fourth tone, falling) kě (third tone, dipping) shuō (first tone, high and level)to have nothing to say (idiom)
• 谎话/謊話huǎng (third tone, dipping) huà (fourth tone, falling)lie
• 实话实说/實話實說shí (second tone, rising) huà (fourth tone, falling) shí (second tone, rising) shuō (first tone, high and level)to tell the truth
• 心里话/心裡話xīn (first tone, high and level) li (neutral tone) huà (fourth tone, falling)(to express one's) true feelings
• 俗话/俗話sú (second tone, rising) huà (fourth tone, falling)common saying
• 俗话说/俗話說sú (second tone, rising) huà (fourth tone, falling) shuō (first tone, high and level)as the proverb says
• 闲话/閒話xián (second tone, rising) huà (fourth tone, falling)digression
• 话费/話費huà (fourth tone, falling) fèi (fourth tone, falling)call charge
• 不像话/不像話bù (fourth tone, falling) xiàng (fourth tone, falling) huà (fourth tone, falling)unreasonable
• 说闲话/說閒話shuō (first tone, high and level) xián (second tone, rising) huà (fourth tone, falling)to chat
• 笑话儿/笑話兒xiàohuar5 (fourth tone, falling)Joke
• 说老实话/說老實話shuō (first tone, high and level) lǎo (third tone, dipping) shi (neutral tone) huà (fourth tone, falling)to be honest

Radical 言 — other characters

• 说/說shuō (first tone, high and level)to speak, to say, to talk; to explain; to tell off (colloquial)
• 认/認rèn (fourth tone, falling)to recognise, to identify; to admit, to acknowledge; to accept as inevitable
• 语/語yǔ (third tone, dipping)language, tongue; speech, words; a saying
• 让/讓ràng (fourth tone, falling)to let, to allow; to make or cause someone to do something; to yield, to give way, to give up a seat
• 记/記jì (fourth tone, falling)to record, to write down; to remember, to bear in mind; a note, an account; a mark
• 识/識shí (second tone, rising) zhì (fourth tone, falling)to know, to recognise; knowledge; (zhì) to record, an inscription
• 请/請qǐng (third tone, dipping)please; to ask, to request; to invite; to treat someone (to a meal)
• 读/讀dú (second tone, rising)to read; to read aloud; to study, to attend school
• 谢/謝xiè (fourth tone, falling)to thank; thanks; (of flowers) to wither, to fade; Xie, a common surname