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.

• 谓wèi🔊

  to speak

  11 strokes

• 谋móu🔊

  to plan

  11 strokes

• 诀jué🔊

  to bid farewell

  11 strokes

• 谎huǎng🔊

  lies

  11 strokes

• 谜mí🔊

  riddle

  HSK 7

  11 strokes

• 设shè🔊

  to set up; to put in place

  HSK 7

  11 strokes

• 许xǔ🔊

  to allow

  HSK 7

  11 strokes

• 谘zī🔊

  variant of 咨[zi1]

  11 strokes

• 䜣xīn🔊

  pleased

  11 strokes

• 讹é🔊

  variant of 訛|讹[e2]

  11 strokes

• 讶yà🔊

  astounded

  11 strokes

• 讼sòng🔊

  litigation

  11 strokes

• 讷nè🔊

  to speak slowly

  11 strokes

• 访fǎng🔊

  (bound form) to seek by inquiry

  11 strokes

• 讵jù🔊

  how (interj. of surprise)

  11 strokes

• 谌chén🔊

  faithful

  11 strokes

• 谍dié🔊

  to spy

  11 strokes

• 谏jiàn🔊

  to remonstrate

  11 strokes

• 谐xié🔊

  (bound form) harmonious

  11 strokes

• 谑xuè🔊

  joy

  11 strokes

• 谒yè🔊

  to visit (a superior)

  11 strokes

• 谔è🔊

  honest speech

  11 strokes

• 谕yù🔊

  order (from above)

  11 strokes

• 谖xuān🔊

  to deceive

  11 strokes

• 谗chán🔊

  to slander

  11 strokes

• 谙ān🔊

  to be versed in

  11 strokes

• 谚yàn🔊

  proverb

  11 strokes

• 谛dì🔊

  to examine

  11 strokes

• 谝piǎn🔊

  to brag

  11 strokes

• 谞xū🔊

  (literary) ability and wisdom

  11 strokes

• 𫍯xián🔊

  to bring into accord

  11 strokes

• 𫍲xiǎo🔊

  small

  11 strokes

• 𬤊shì🔊

  to examine

  11 strokes

• 谢xiè🔊

  to thank

  12 strokes

• 词cí🔊

  old variant of 詞|词[ci2]

  HSK 2

  12 strokes

• 注zhù🔊

  (bound form) to pour into; to flow into; to inject

  HSK 7

  12 strokes

• 诈zhà🔊

  to cheat

  12 strokes

• 诉sù🔊

  variant of 訴|诉[su4]

  12 strokes

• 谦qiān🔊

  modest

  12 strokes

• 诃hē🔊

  to scold

  12 strokes

• 诊zhěn🔊

  to examine or treat medically

  12 strokes

• 𧮪zhān🔊

  garrulous

  12 strokes

• 诂gǔ🔊

  to comment

  12 strokes

• 诋dǐ🔊

  to defame

  12 strokes

• 詈lì🔊

  to curse

  12 strokes

• 诒yí🔊

  (archaic) to present

  12 strokes

• 诏zhào🔊

  (literary) to admonish

  12 strokes

• 评píng🔊

  to discuss

  HSK 6

  12 strokes