speech

Origin & mnemonic

This radical originates from a pictograph representing speech and language, with a mouth (the center stroke) emitting words or utterances (the surrounding strokes). In seal script and oracle-bone script, it depicts the act of speaking and conveying ideas.

Mnemonic: Picture a mouth releasing lines of words—the speech radical shows three vertical strokes plus slanted marks suggesting utterance flowing outward.

• 讠yán🔊

  "speech" or "words" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 149)

  2 strokes

• 订dìng🔊

  to agree

  HSK 3

  4 strokes

• 认rèn🔊

  to recognize

  HSK 5

  4 strokes

• 计jì🔊

  to calculate

  HSK 7

  4 strokes

• 讣fù🔊

  to report a bereavement

  4 strokes

• 讥jī🔊

  to ridicule

  4 strokes

• 让ràng🔊

  to yield

  HSK 2

  5 strokes

• 记jì🔊

  to record

  HSK 1

  5 strokes

• 讨tǎo🔊

  to invite

  HSK 7

  5 strokes

• 讬tuō🔊

  nonstandard simplified variant of 託|托[tuo1]

  5 strokes

• 讯xùn🔊

  (bound form) to ask; to inquire

  5 strokes

• 训xùn🔊

  to teach; to train; to admonish

  HSK 7

  5 strokes

• 讦jié🔊

  to accuse

  5 strokes

• 讧hòng🔊

  strife

  5 strokes

• 讪shàn🔊

  to mock

  5 strokes

• 讫qì🔊

  finished

  5 strokes

• 议yì🔊

  to comment on

  HSK 7

  5 strokes

• 讱rèn🔊

  (literary) slow in speech

  5 strokes

• 𬣙xū🔊

  to boast

  5 strokes

• 讲jiǎng🔊

  to speak

  HSK 2

  6 strokes

• 讽fěng🔊

  to satirize

  6 strokes

• 诀jué🔊

  to bid farewell

  6 strokes

• 设shè🔊

  to set up; to put in place

  HSK 7

  6 strokes

• 许xǔ🔊

  to allow

  HSK 7

  6 strokes

• 论lùn🔊

  opinion

  6 strokes

• 讳huì🔊

  to avoid mentioning

  6 strokes

• 讴ōu🔊

  to sing

  6 strokes

• 讵jù🔊

  how (interj. of surprise)

  6 strokes

• 讶yà🔊

  astounded

  6 strokes

• 讷nè🔊

  to speak slowly

  6 strokes

• 讹é🔊

  variant of 訛|讹[e2]

  6 strokes

• 讼sòng🔊

  litigation

  6 strokes

• 访fǎng🔊

  (bound form) to seek by inquiry

  6 strokes

• 𬣞zhǔ🔊

  wisdom

  6 strokes

• 词cí🔊

  old variant of 詞|词[ci2]

  HSK 2

  7 strokes

• 言yán🔊

  words

  7 strokes

• 证zhèng🔊

  certificate

  HSK 3

  7 strokes

• 译yì🔊

  to translate

  HSK 7

  7 strokes

• 诈zhà🔊

  to cheat

  7 strokes

• 识shí🔊

  to know

  HSK 6

  7 strokes

• 诉sù🔊

  variant of 訴|诉[su4]

  7 strokes

• 诂gǔ🔊

  to comment

  7 strokes

• 诃hē🔊

  to scold

  7 strokes

• 评píng🔊

  to discuss

  HSK 6

  7 strokes

• 诅zǔ🔊

  curse

  7 strokes

• 诇xiòng🔊

  (literary) to spy

  7 strokes

• 诊zhěn🔊

  to examine or treat medically

  7 strokes

• 诋dǐ🔊

  to defame

  7 strokes