話

話 (Kangxi radical 149, 言+6, 13 strokes, cangjie input 卜口竹十口 (YRHJR), four-corner 0266₄, 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 in Han)
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 to Sagart (1999); if so, it is from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *grwas (“to speak; word”), whence Tibetan གྲོས་སྡུར་བྱེད་པ (gros sdur byed pa, “to consult; to discuss”) (STEDT).

"episode"

Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 話(わ) (wa)

話

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

   他的每一句話／他的每一句话  ―  tā de měi yī jù huà  ―  every single word they said

   話不能說得太滿／话不能说得太满  ―  huà bùnéng shuō de tài mǎn  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. story; tale
3. dialect; language

   四川話／四川话  ―  sìchuānhuà  ―  Sichuanese dialect

   越南話／越南话  ―  yuènánhuà  ―  Vietnamese language

   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 me¹ waa^6-2 gaa³? [Jyutping]

   What language do you usually speak with him?

4. to talk about; to discuss

   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, què huà Bāshān yèyǔ shí. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. (Cantonese, Gan, Hakka, Northern Min, Wu) to say; to refer to; to talk about

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

   sai² mat¹ waa⁶ 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 di¹ waa⁶ ngo⁵ zi¹ faat³ sang¹ me¹ si⁶. [Jyutping]

   Quickly tell me what happened.

   都話喇！／都话喇！ [Cantonese]  ―  dou¹ waa⁶ laa³! [Jyutping]  ―  What did I tell you?

   • 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.]

     From: George Lam, Ah Lam 日記

     ngo⁵ m⁴ hai⁶ waa⁶ nei⁵ cau² joeng^6-2, zi² hai⁶ nei⁵ wat⁶ dat⁶. [Jyutping]

     I'm not saying that you're ugly, only that you're disgusting.

   • 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.]

     From:

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

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

6. (Cantonese, transitive) to tell (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 zoi³ waa⁶ 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) to tell someone off; to scold

   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.]

   m⁴ waa⁶ keoi⁵ ne¹, keoi⁵ zau⁶ wui⁵ gai³ zuk⁶ zou⁶ lok⁶ heoi³. [Jyutping]

   If you don't tell him off, he will continue to do it.

8. (Cantonese) to think; to feel; to consider; to say

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

   nei⁵ waa⁶ dim² syun³ hou²? [Jyutping]

   What do you say we should do?

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

   nei⁵ waa⁶ bin¹ go³ wui⁵ dai² di¹ ne¹? [Jyutping]

   Which one do you say 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 gaa³ waa^6-2? [Jyutping]

   What did you want me to do just now?

   幾多錢話？／几多钱话？ [Cantonese]  ―  gei² do¹ cin⁴ waa^6-2? [Jyutping]  ―  How much did you say it was?

10. (Cantonese) quotative: that

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

    mei⁶ si³ gwo³ waa⁶ 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 sai² waa⁶ 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)