yán
speech; words; to speak
Meanings & readings
Meanings & dictionary uses
2 senses · 6 wordsLanguage, words, or speech. The order of characters matters: 語言 and 言語 overlap in topic but are distinct words.
Speaking or leaving a verbal or written statement. The compound supplies the ordinary modern action, register, and context.
Languages & readings
Choose a recorded reading. Explore other varieties through their reference sources below.
Mandarin
Sense-linked readingsReadings & meanings
Usage scope
Regional and word-specific qualifications remain attached to the sense and vocabulary records.
Cantonese
Selected character readingSource & reading limitations
Jyutping · Unihan 17.0.0
This property supplies a customary character reading for collation and transliteration. It does not list every reading or identify the reading for each word and sense. It also does not encode a separate regional label for each value.
Other Chinese languages & varieties
Reference guides · character readings not yet imported.
Taiwanese Hokkien 臺灣台語Reference sources only
The Ministry of Education dictionary is the reference for Taiwanese vocabulary and readings. Its Tâi-lô guide distinguishes citation tones from changes in connected speech. Other Hokkien varieties require their own sources.
- Reference variety
- Taiwanese Hokkien, with the regional distinctions recorded by Taiwan's Ministry of Education
- Notation
- Tâi-lô (臺羅), as used by the linked MOE dictionary
Hakka 客語Reference sources only
Taiwan's Ministry of Education documents six Hakka varieties separately. Choose the variety before comparing readings; a single undifferentiated Hakka pronunciation would hide meaningful differences.
- Reference variety
- Taiwan: Sixian, Hailu, Dapu, Raoping, Zhao'an and Southern Sixian
- Notation
- Taiwan Hakka Romanization System (臺灣客語拼音方案)
Teochew 潮州話／潮汕話Reference sources only
Explore CUHK's published Chaozhou lexicon and its separate Shantou sound table. These reference locations remain explicit: readings from one locality should not stand in for every Teochew variety.
- Reference variety
- Chaozhou lexicon; separate Shantou syllable-table resource
- Notation
- Source phonetic transcription; no shared local romanization imported
Wu 吳語・上海話Reference sources only
The linked university resource documents Shanghai. Wu also includes other local varieties; Shanghai readings should retain that location label when compared with Mandarin or Cantonese.
- Reference variety
- Shanghai
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Eastern Min 閩東語・福州話Reference sources only
Fuzhou is an Eastern Min reference variety. Its dedicated CUHK sound table offers a starting point; other Eastern Min localities need distinct records and source attribution.
- Reference variety
- Fuzhou
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Gan 贛語・南昌話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Nanchang sound table. The broader Gan group contains local differences, so future readings should identify Nanchang or another documented locality explicitly.
- Reference variety
- Nanchang
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Xiang 湘語・長沙話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Changsha sound table. Keep Changsha separate from other Xiang localities when adding readings; the group name does not denote one uniform pronunciation.
- Reference variety
- Changsha
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Readings in Japanese, Korean & Vietnamese
Readings recorded for 言 in other language traditions. These are character-level records, not word translations or interchangeable pronunciations.
Japanese 日本語
Grouped by the source’s kana notation; no frequency ranking is implied.
On’yomi · katakana
Kun’yomi · hiragana
Katakana generally indicates on’yomi; hiragana generally indicates kun’yomi. The source does not identify everyday, rare, historical or name use per reading. Kana strings are preserved, including any written endings; consult a Japanese word entry for actual use.
Go deeperJisho ↗Wiktionary ↗
Source record & scope
Unicode Unihan 17.0.0 · kJapanese ↗ · provisional property
ゲン ゴン ギン いう こと ここに われKorean 한국어
Hanja readings · Hangul
Source codes are separated below. They are neither sounds nor tones; a character reading alone does not specify a whole word’s pronunciation.
Go deeperNaver Hanja ↗Wiktionary ↗
Reading sources explained
- 언
- KS X 1001 (0) · Educational Hanja (E)
Vietnamese Tiếng Việt
Character readings · Quốc ngữ
Vietnamese readings associated with this Han character. This field alone does not establish word meanings, current usage, or a complete account of Hán-Nôm reading traditions.
Go deeperHán Việt (Thi Viện) ↗Wiktionary ↗
Form & structure
Structure & components
1 direct parts- Layout
- complex
- Index radical
- 言 · 149 · 0 residual strokes
A 口-shaped element is visible beneath the upper strokes. This is a deliberately partial modern analysis, not a claim that 口 alone explains the entire graph’s origin. Standalone 言 and a left-side 言 component occupy different amounts of space. 讠 is the simplified component form used in such characters as 请; it is not the simplified spelling of standalone 言.
Follow the recorded parts
- recorded boundary
A boundary means no finer analysis is published here; it does not assert an indivisible unit. Radical classification and component structure are separate.
Inspect the component network ↗Writing
7 strokesModern stroke order; regional conventions can differ. [47]
Words & connections
Examples
2 sentences他正在學習一門新的語言。
他正在学习一门新的语言。
He is learning a new language.
你可以在這裡留言。
你可以在这里留言。
You can leave a message here.
Original editorial sentences. Pinyin uses dictionary tones; connected speech may differ.
Connections
0 phonetic neighboursThis pilot does not link this character to a sound (phonetic) family. Explore the other recorded relationships below.
Follow this component
History & distinctions
Etymology & evidence
2 accountsAn attributed early analysis
CUHK analyzes the early graph using 舌 and an added horizontal mark, citing Yu Xingwu for the interpretation that the mark indicates speech issuing from the tongue. The entry also describes additional short strokes in later bronze forms. This is reported as a scholarly account, not as an anatomical picture visible in every modern font.
Different historical explanations
The same entry quotes the Shuowen’s analysis involving 口 and a phonetic element. Keeping these attributions visible prevents a later dictionary’s component analysis from being silently equated with the interpretation of earlier inscriptions.
Reading this character · explanatory note
言 connects language, speech, and something that has been said. In 語言 / 语言 it helps form the word language; 發言 / 发言 means to speak or make a statement; 留言 is to leave a message. It is not always a natural replacement for the everyday verb 說 / 说. CUHK presents a historical interpretation involving 舌 and an added mark, while also quoting a different analysis in the Shuowen. The modern shape alone cannot settle that history. In simplified writing, the left-side component corresponding to 言 is often 讠, although standalone 言 itself stays unchanged.
Historical specimens remain at their sources. No dated attestation sequence or licensed specimen image is claimed.
Inspect CUHK’s forms and discussion ↗Forms & distinctions
言 remains 言 in both standard writing systems. Other characters in its words may change: 語言 / 语言, 發言 / 发言, and 謊言 / 谎言. Component simplification is a different relationship from whole-character identity. Seeing 讠 in 请 does not mean that standalone 言 has disappeared from simplified Chinese.
讠 is a contextual simplified component. Do not replace standalone 言 with it when writing the word 語言 / 语言.
語 / 语 yǔ is another character used in language-related words. Shared topic and shared component do not make its reading identical to yán.
Historical readings
- Middle Chinese
- ngjon · 語軒 反切 · #475
Guangyun-based transcriptions · PHONO-ML · CC BY 4.0. These describe historical reading categories, not modern word pronunciation.
Source row & reading categories
CSV line 4080 · ngjon = 山開三平元疑
Automatically generated in the source dataset; the authors checked a subset and acknowledge possible errors. All source readings are retained separately. Notation & method ↗
Sources & reference
Sources & research
4 sourcesLocator & rights
形義通解, 略說 and 詳解; character entry · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
Release 2026-10-12T08:13:53Z. Exact word-reading locators are retained with each WordRecord. · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
17.0.0 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
bddc96d41bef78427ed0e034e9f7e31d71fd1b92 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Open research · 2 items
- The two historical analyses are reported through CUHK; the underlying specialist publications have not been independently consulted.
- Historical specimen images and their item-level dating have not been licensed or independently checked; follow the source link to inspect its evidence.
Cited claims compared with the consulted entries; no independent expert review recorded.
Readings across dictionaries
- Hanyu Da Zidian
- yán,yàn,yín 63936.010
- Xiandai Hanyu · 1983
- yán 1324.040
- Tongyong Guifan · 2013
- yán 422.040
- Reading counts · XDHYPLCD
- yán(307)
- Mandarin / Cantonese · SMSZD
- yán粵jin4