huà
noun HSK 1 #111

Meanings

  1. 1 words
  2. 2 speech
  3. 3 language

Characters

Speech radical on the left — relates to speaking.

Examples

Tā de huà hěn yǒu dàolǐ.
His words make a lot of sense.
Wǒ yǒu jǐ jù huà xiǎng duì nǐ shuō.
I have a few words I want to say to you.

Tips

usage
appears in many common compounds: 说话 (to speak), 电话 (telephone), 普通话 (Mandarin), 笑话 (joke).

Components

radical
yán
speech (radical form of 言)
Speech radical on the left — the contracted form of . Marks as a speech-act noun. Anchors a huge family of speaking and communication words (, , , , ). Always the first hint that the character involves spoken language.
semantic
shé
tongue
Right component — the tongue, the body part that produces speech. A double-semantic compound: words from the speech-radical plus sound from the tongue. Both halves point at speaking, with the tongue contributing the physical organ that gives the word its lively, embodied flavour.

Stroke Order

huà