yán
speech
Pictograph of a tongue (舌) sticking out of a mouth. In old scripts 言 was written the same as 舌 but with an extra line.
Oracle script
(~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze script
Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Seal script
Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical script
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)Regular script
ModernFreq. | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
words | ||
language | ||
message | ||
with regard to (preceding phrase) | ||
lie |
Meaning component in 160 characters (63 verified)
說 説 話 諙 信 論 認 計 許 設 記 該 该 讓 識 議 證 調 請 談 註 語 護 誌 講 訴 試 誰 讙 警 讀 託 評 討 誤 謝 詩 謂 詞 諾 謀 訓 訪 謌 誠 譭 訂 譯 課 辯 詳 獄 誕 誓 諒 誼 訝 謊 謙 譴 詹 訥 詈 諸 讚 罰 診 詢 誉 譽 誘 訟 謹 誇 譚 譜 諷 謬 諜 詐 諧 譬 謎 誦 諭 詭 詔 詫 誡 諠 訣 諱 譏 諫 誣 詛 謨 謗 誅 諦 謁 詰 詠 詣 誨 誹 諺 謔 訕 詮 訶 訛 詡 諛 謾 諳 詼 諄 諡 謚 謐 諶 諂 諉 諤 詒 讒 詆 誑 諮 訖 誚 諢 訃 讖 謳 謅 譎 詬 謇 誆 誊 詿 謫 譙 訌 訇 誒 讕 譫 訾 讞 譖 霅 訚 誾 謦 訢 誙 讌
Old Chinese | Middle Chinese | Pinyin | Gloss |
*ŋa[n] | ngjon | yán | (a particle) |
*ŋa[n] | ngjon | yán | I, we |
*ŋa[n] | ngjon | yán | speak; speech |
*ŋa[r] | ngjon | yán | tall |
HSK level 2
Appears in 72.9617% of movies
511th most common character in movies
355th most common character in books
Strokes | 7 |
Unicode | U+8A00 |
Shuowen | “言，直言曰言，論難曰語。从口，聲。” |
季旭昇《說文新證》p.160
