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.

• 计jì🔊

  to calculate

  HSK 7

  9 strokes

• 误wù🔊

  mistake

  HSK 6

  9 strokes

• 诱yòu🔊

  (literary) to induce; to entice

  9 strokes

• 诫jiè🔊

  commandment

  9 strokes

• 讣fù🔊

  to report a bereavement

  9 strokes

• 訄qiú🔊

  (literary) to coerce sb

  9 strokes

• 訇hōng🔊

  sound of a crash

  9 strokes

• 诪zhōu🔊

  (literary) to curse

  9 strokes

• 诬wū🔊

  to accuse falsely

  9 strokes

• 诮qiào🔊

  ridicule

  9 strokes

• 诰gào🔊

  to enjoin

  9 strokes

• 诲huì🔊

  to teach

  9 strokes

• 诳kuáng🔊

  to deceive; to dupe

  9 strokes

• 诵sòng🔊

  to read aloud

  9 strokes

• 谁shéi🔊

  who

  HSK 1

  10 strokes

• 请qǐng🔊

  to ask

  HSK 1

  10 strokes

• 谈tán🔊

  to speak

  HSK 3

  10 strokes

• 读dú🔊

  to read out; to read aloud

  HSK 1

  10 strokes

• 课kè🔊

  subject

  HSK 1

  10 strokes

• 记jì🔊

  to record

  HSK 1

  10 strokes

• 诺nuò🔊

  to consent

  10 strokes

• 调diào🔊

  to transfer

  HSK 3

  10 strokes

• 谅liàng🔊

  to show understanding

  10 strokes

• 讨tǎo🔊

  to invite

  HSK 7

  10 strokes

• 讬tuō🔊

  nonstandard simplified variant of 託|托[tuo1]

  10 strokes

• 讯xùn🔊

  (bound form) to ask; to inquire

  10 strokes

• 诸zhū🔊

  all

  10 strokes

• 训xùn🔊

  to teach; to train; to admonish

  HSK 7

  10 strokes

• 讧hòng🔊

  strife

  10 strokes

• 𬣙xū🔊

  to boast

  10 strokes

• 讦jié🔊

  to accuse

  10 strokes

• 讱rèn🔊

  (literary) slow in speech

  10 strokes

• 讪shàn🔊

  to mock

  10 strokes

• 讫qì🔊

  finished

  10 strokes

• 訚yín🔊

  respectful

  10 strokes

• 诹zōu🔊

  to choose

  10 strokes

• 诼zhuó🔊

  to complain

  10 strokes

• 诽fěi🔊

  slander

  10 strokes

• 诿wěi🔊

  to shirk

  10 strokes

• 谀yú🔊

  to flatter

  10 strokes

• 谂shěn🔊

  to know

  10 strokes

• 谄chǎn🔊

  to flatter

  10 strokes

• 谆zhūn🔊

  repeatedly (in giving advice)

  10 strokes

• 谇suì🔊

  abuse

  10 strokes

• 谉shěn🔊

  to investigate

  10 strokes

• 谊yì🔊

  friendship

  10 strokes