口语 (kǒu yǔ) — (noun) spoken language, oral language, colloqui… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

口语 means 'spoken language' (as a skill or register) — contrasted with written Chinese. The other meaning, 'slander/gossip,' is rare and literary.

noun

spoken languageoral languagecolloquial speech(literary) slandergossip

Measure word · 门

Examples

口语，。
Wǒ de kǒu yǔ bú tài hǎo, xū yào duō liàn xí.
My spoken language is not very good; I need to practice more.
。
Zhè mén kǒu yǔ kè hěn yǒu yì si.
This spoken language class is very interesting.
口语，。
Wǒ měi tiān liàn xí kǒu yǔ, yīn wèi xiǎng shuō dé gèng zì rán.
I practice spoken language every day because I want to speak more naturally.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

语yǔlanguage

口 points to the mouth, and 语 to language, giving spoken language.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

言吾語

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

吾

吾wú語yǔ

Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 4 Language

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