Chinese character 话

话 means “speech,” “words,” or “talk” in Chinese, and is pronounced huà in Mandarin. In words made from several characters, it can also carry the sense “story”: read it with its neighbors.

Text symbol

What 话 means

It names words or talk; combinations refine the meaning.

Its history runs through 話: in early Zhou dynasty texts, it refers to speech offering instruction or warning. Usage revived between the Jin and Sui dynasties, broadening toward conversation and stories. This is the history of an evolving word, not the origin date of the simplified shape.

Part of the collection

中

Common Chinese Characters (Hanzi)

Who writes 话

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Don't confuse it with

說

CJK Unified Ideograph-8Aaa

Its simplified form is 说. It usually means “say”; 话 more often names the words or talk.

Combination ideas

speak or talk

talk before parting; say farewell

Questions people ask

Why does 话 show as a box on some devices?

Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.