言 Radical 149 — speech; word, to say

Where the shape comes from

A mouth 口 at the bottom with strokes rising above it: sound coming out, drawn as breath or as the tongue in motion. The simplified left-hand form 讠 keeps only the top dot and the fold, and it marks almost every verb of saying: 说, 请, 谢, 语, 话, 谁.

characters filed under 言

• 认/認rèn (fourth tone, falling)to recognise, to identify; to admit, to acknowledge; to accept as inevitable4
• 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 seat5
• 记/記jì (fourth tone, falling)to record, to write down; to remember, to bear in mind; a note, an account; a mark5
• 识/識shí (second tone, rising) zhì (fourth tone, falling)to know, to recognise; knowledge; (zhì) to record, an inscription7
• 话/話huà (fourth tone, falling)speech, words, what is said; a language or dialect; to talk about8
• 语/語yǔ (third tone, dipping)language, tongue; speech, words; a saying9
• 说/說shuō (first tone, high and level)to speak, to say, to talk; to explain; to tell off (colloquial)9
• 请/請qǐng (third tone, dipping)please; to ask, to request; to invite; to treat someone (to a meal)10
• 读/讀dú (second tone, rising)to read; to read aloud; to study, to attend school10
• 谢/謝xiè (fourth tone, falling)to thank; thanks; (of flowers) to wither, to fade; Xie, a common surname12