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.

• 讳huì🔊

  to avoid mentioning

  16 strokes

• 諵nán🔊

  mumble in repetition

  16 strokes

• 讲jiǎng🔊

  to speak

  HSK 2

  17 strokes

• 诌zhōu🔊

  to make up (a story)

  17 strokes

• 謇jiǎn🔊

  to speak out boldly

  17 strokes

• 謷áo🔊

  greatness

  17 strokes

• 𮙋dú🔊

  to murmur

  17 strokes

• 謦qì🔊

  cough slightly

  18 strokes

• 謪shāng🔊

  to discuss (old variant of 商[shang1])

  18 strokes

• 讴ōu🔊

  to sing

  18 strokes

• 警jǐng🔊

  to alert

  19 strokes

• 证zhèng🔊

  certificate

  HSK 3

  19 strokes

• 识shí🔊

  to know

  HSK 6

  19 strokes

• 讥jī🔊

  to ridicule

  19 strokes

• 譢suì🔊

  old variant of 誶|谇[sui4]

  19 strokes

• 谶chèn🔊

  (literary) prophecy; omen

  19 strokes

• 护hù🔊

  to protect

  HSK 6

  20 strokes

• 译yì🔊

  to translate

  HSK 7

  20 strokes

• 譬pì🔊

  to give an example

  20 strokes

• 议yì🔊

  to comment on

  HSK 7

  20 strokes

• 譱shàn🔊

  old variant of 善[shan4]

  20 strokes

• 譶tà🔊

  to talk fast

  21 strokes

• 诪zhōu🔊

  (literary) to curse

  21 strokes

• 读dú🔊

  to read out; to read aloud

  HSK 1

  22 strokes

• 谉shěn🔊

  to investigate

  22 strokes

• 变biàn🔊

  to change

  HSK 2

  23 strokes

• 䜩yàn🔊

  variant of 宴[yan4]

  23 strokes

• 雠chóu🔊

  to collate

  23 strokes

• 讏wèi🔊

  variant of 讆[wei4]

  23 strokes

• 讐chóu🔊

  variant of 讎|雠[chou2]

  23 strokes

• 让ràng🔊

  to yield

  HSK 2

  24 strokes