📖 Meaning & Origin
The 言 radical represents speech and words — the mouth speaking with vibrations of sound. It appears in an enormous number of kanji related to language, communication, saying, reading, and writing.
📚 Kanji by JLPT Level
✍️ Where it appears & how it changes shape
言 stands alone and appears on the left in a very large family of kanji: 語, 話, 読, 記, 説, 調, 議, 訳. The compressed Chinese form 訁 exists but Japanese keeps the full 言, so what you learn here is what you will see.
🔍 Don't confuse it with
A similar upper structure but a different lower half. 音 is sound in the physical sense (音楽), while 言 is language.
Both relate to the mouth. 口 leans towards the physical opening, such as eating or an entrance, while 言 covers speech, writing and language.
📈 Beyond N5 — what comes next
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 記 | き | to record, note | N3 |
| 説 | せつ | to explain, theory | N3 |
| 調 | ちょう / しらべる | to investigate, tune | N3 |
| 議 | ぎ | discussion, deliberation | N2 |
JLPT does not publish official kanji lists by level. These levels follow the commonly used reference lists and are a guide, not a guarantee.
🗣️ Words you will actually meet
🎯 How to use this radical in JLPT study
Learn one radical properly before the JLPT and make it this one. ごんべん is among the most productive in the language, and its meaning almost never wanders: language, speech, writing, explanation. In a reading section it narrows an unknown kanji to 'something about saying or describing', which is often enough to pick the answer.
⚠️ The mistake I see most often
Writing the top stroke of 言 too short, so it reads as 音 or as a generic seven-stroke block. The long horizontal at the top is what identifies it.
💡 Teacher's Memory Tip
A mouth at the top (口) with sound waves below — speech radiating outward. Any kanji with 言 or 訁 involves language and communication.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
The 言 radical means 'speech,' 'words,' or 'language.' It is one of the most productive radicals in Japanese — dozens of common kanji are built on it.
N5 kanji with 言/訁: 言 (say/words), 語 (language — speech + I), 話 (talk/story — speech + tongue), 読 (read — speech + sell = sharing meaning through text).
A mouth with waves of sound coming out — that's 言. Every kanji with 言 or its compact version 訁 involves talking, writing, or language.
Practice 「言」 kanji with AI
Nihongo Pass uses spaced repetition to help you master all N5 kanji.