Stroke order

話 (Kangxi radical 149,言+6, 13 strokes,cangjie input卜口竹十口 (YRHJR),four-corner0266₄,composition⿰訁舌)

• 𫬃

• Kangxi Dictionary:page 1158, character 10
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 35441
• Dae Jaweon: page 1624, character 6
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3965, character 6
• Unihan data for U+8A71

Historical forms of the character話
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled inHan)
Small seal script

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 /形声,OC*ɡroːds): semantic 言(“word”) + phonetic 𠯑(OC*ɡroːd). The right component is not related to舌 (OC*ɦbljed, “tongue”).

Cognate with曰 (OC*ɢʷad) according toSagart (1999); if so, it is fromProto-Sino-Tibetan*grwas(“to speak; word”), whenceTibetanགྲོས་སྡུར་བྱེད་པ(gros sdur byed pa,“to consult; to discuss”) (STEDT).

"episode"

Orthographic borrowing fromJapanese話(わ)(wa)

話

1. words;talk; what somebody says(Classifier:句mmn)

   他的每一句話／他的每一句话  ― tā de měi yī jùhuà  ―  every singleword they said

   話不能說得太滿／话不能说得太满  ― huà bùnéng shuō de tài mǎn  ―  words should not speak too completely or absolutely

2. story;tale
3. dialect;language

   四川話／四川话  ― sìchuānhuà  ―  Sichuanesedialect

   越南話／越南话  ― yuènánhuà  ―  Vietnameselanguage

   你平時同佢講咩話㗎？[Cantonese,trad.]
   你平时同佢讲咩话㗎？[Cantonese,simp.]

   nei⁵ ping⁴ si⁴ tung⁴ keoi⁵ gong² me¹waa^6-2 gaa³?[Jyutping]

   Whatlanguage do you usually speak with him?

4. totalk about; todiscuss

   話別／话别  ― huàbié  ―  to say goodbye

   話家常／话家常  ― huà jiācháng  ―  to chit-chat; to talk about daily lives

   • 何當共剪西窗燭，卻話巴山夜雨時。[Classical Chinese,trad.]
     何当共剪西窗烛，却话巴山夜雨时。[Classical Chinese,simp.]

     From: 9th century,Li Shangyin,夜雨寄北

     Hédāng gòng jiǎn xī chuāng zhú, quèhuà Bāshān yèyǔ shí.[Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. (Cantonese, Gan, Hakka, Northern Min, Wu) tosay; torefer to; totalkabout

   使乜話俾佢聽呢。[Cantonese,trad.]
   使乜话俾佢听呢。[Cantonese,simp.]

   sai² mat¹waa⁶ bei² keoi⁵ teng¹ ne¹.[Jyutping]

   What do you need to tell him/her for.

   話緊佢自己／话紧佢自己[Cantonese]  ― waa⁶ gan² keoi⁵ zi⁶ gei²[Jyutping]  ― talking about himself/herself

   你快啲話我知發生咩事。[Cantonese,trad.]
   你快啲话我知发生咩事。[Cantonese,simp.]

   nei⁵ faai³ di¹waa⁶ ngo⁵ zi¹ faat³ sang¹ me¹ si⁶.[Jyutping]

   Quickly tell me what happened.

   都話啦！／都话啦！[Cantonese]  ― dou¹waa⁶ laa¹![Jyutping]  ―  What did I tell you?

   話就係噉話啫。[Cantonese,trad.]
   话就系噉话啫。[Cantonese,simp.]

   waa⁶ zau⁶ hai⁶ gam²waa⁶ ze¹.[Jyutping]

   That's what they say [at least, but actual matters may be different].

   • (Can wedate this quote?), “Ah Lam 日記”, performed by林子祥 [George Lam]:

     我唔係話你醜樣，只係你核突。[Cantonese,trad.]
     我唔系话你丑样，只系你核突。[Cantonese,simp.]

     ngo⁵ m⁴ hai⁶waa⁶ nei⁵ cau² joeng^6-2, zi² hai⁶ nei⁵ wat⁶ dat⁶.[Jyutping]

     I'm notsaying that you're ugly, only that you're disgusting.

   • (Can wedate this quote?),十一點新聞‎^[1],本港台;亞洲電視:

     喂，話咗，唔好再上嚟呀。落番去啦，影乜嘢。[Cantonese,trad.]
     喂，话咗，唔好再上嚟呀。落番去啦，影乜嘢。[Cantonese,simp.]

     wai³,waa⁶ zo², m⁴ hou² zoi³ soeng⁶ lei⁴ aa³. lok⁶ faan¹ heoi³ laa¹, jing² mat¹ je⁵.[Jyutping]

     Oi, I alreadysaid, don't try to come up here any further. Go back down; what are you filming for?

6. (Cantonese, transitive) totell (someone something)

   我搵人知咩嚟再話你哋知。[Cantonese,trad.]
   我揾人知咩嚟再话你哋知。[Cantonese,simp.]

   ngo⁵ wan² jan⁴ zi¹ me¹ lai⁴ zoi³waa⁶ nei⁵ dei⁶ zi¹.[Jyutping]

   I'll find someone who knows what it is and then report back to you guys.

7. (Cantonese, Hakka, Gan, Wu) totell someone off; toscold

   唔話佢呢，佢就會繼續做落去。[Cantonese,trad.]
   唔话佢呢，佢就会继续做落去。[Cantonese,simp.]

   m⁴waa⁶ keoi⁵ ne¹, keoi⁵ zau⁶ wui⁵ gai³ zuk⁶ zou⁶ lok⁶ heoi³.[Jyutping]

   If you don'ttell himoff, he will continue to do it.

   你唔好話呀，真係有鬼㗎。[Cantonese,trad.]
   你唔好话呀，真系有鬼㗎。[Cantonese,simp.]

   nei⁵ m⁴ hou²waa⁶ aa³, zan¹ hai⁶ jau⁵ gwai² gaa³.[Jyutping]

   Don'tcomplain (that I'm telling you that), ghosts are real.

8. (Cantonese) tothink; tofeel; toconsider; tosay

   你話點算好？[Cantonese,trad.]
   你话点算好？[Cantonese,simp.]

   nei⁵waa⁶ dim² syun³ hou²?[Jyutping]

   What do yousay we should do?

   你話邊個會抵啲呢？[Cantonese,trad.]
   你话边个会抵啲呢？[Cantonese,simp.]

   nei⁵waa⁶ bin¹ go³ wui⁵ dai² di¹ ne¹?[Jyutping]

   Which one do yousay is the thriftier choice?

9. (Cantonese)Sentence-final particle used to ask someone to repeat previous information.

   頭先你叫我做咩㗎話？[Cantonese,trad.]
   头先你叫我做咩㗎话？[Cantonese,simp.]

   tau⁴ sin¹ nei⁵ giu³ ngo⁵ zou⁶ me¹ gaa³waa^6-2?[Jyutping]

   What did you want me to do just now?

   幾多錢話？／几多钱话？[Cantonese]  ― gei² do¹ cin⁴waa^6-2?[Jyutping]  ―  How much did you say it was?

   你話咩話？／你话咩话？[Cantonese]  ― nei⁵ waa⁶ me¹waa^6-2?[Jyutping]  ―  What did you say?

10. (Cantonese)quotative:that

    未試過話唔塞嘅[Cantonese,trad.]
    未试过话唔塞嘅[Cantonese,simp.]

    mei⁶ si³ gwo³waa⁶ m⁴ sak¹ ge³[Jyutping]

    in my experience it's never not been in a jam

    噉就唔使話熱得滯。[Cantonese,trad.]
    噉就唔使话热得滞。[Cantonese,simp.]

    gam² zau⁶ m⁴ sai²waa⁶ jit⁶ dak¹ zai⁶.[Jyutping]

    This can avoid it being too hot.

11. (ACG)episode

• (speech):

• (to say):

• (dialect, language):

• 指 (zhǐ)
• (to tell someone off):鬧／闹 (naau6, “to scold”)
• 的話／的话 (dehuà)