word, speech, language

About this kanji

The kanji '語' primarily means 'word,' 'speech,' or 'language.' It is commonly used as a noun, especially in the context of different languages. For example, '英語' (えいご) means 'English,' and '言語' (げんご) translates to 'language.' As a verb, it appears in '語る' (かたる), which means 'to talk about' or 'to narrate.' Another compound you might see is '国語' (こくご), meaning 'national language,' often referring to the local language of a country. A usage note: '語' can also imply the concept of storytelling, especially in the compound '物語' (ものがたり), which means 'story.' Understanding this kanji will greatly help you in conversations about languages and communication.

Example sentences

• 彼は多くの言語を語る。

  He speaks many languages.

Meanings across languages

English

word, speech, language

Tiếng Việt

từ, lời nói, ngôn ngữ

日本語

言葉, 言語, 言葉

한국어

단어, 말, 언어

中文

单词, 言语, 语言

id

kata, pidato, bahasa

th

คำ, พูด, ภาษา

es

palabra, discurso, lenguaje

fr

mot, discours, langue

de

Wort, Sprache, Rede

pt

palavra, discurso, língua

Common compounds

• 英語えいごEnglish (language)
• 言語げんごlanguage
• 語るかたるto talk about, to speak of, to tell
• 国語こくごnational language, Japanese language (esp. as a school subject in Japan), one's native language
• 物語ものがたりstory, tale, narrative
• 用語ようごterm, terminology, wording
• 外国語がいこくごforeign language
• 語らうかたらうto talk, to tell, to recite