Writing
外语 (wài yǔ) — how to say "foreign language" in Chinese
外语
Foreign language
noun
Character composition
外
outside
语
language
Radicals / Keys
夕
Evening
#36 · xī · 3 strokes
言
Speech
#149 · yán · 7 strokes
Collocations
外语老师
wài yǔ lǎo shī
foreign language teacher
学一门外语
xué yì mén wài yǔ
study one foreign language
外语考试
wài yǔ kǎo shì
foreign language exam
Examples
她喜欢说外语，也喜欢写外语。
She likes speaking foreign languages and writing in them.
他学外语。
He studies a foreign language.
Mnemonic
[wài yǔ-] "why, Yu!" squawks a parrot named Yu hearing unfamiliar speech. He flew outside (外) and overheard a strange language (语). Now he mimics the people and studies 外语, a foreign language. 🦜
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say "foreign language" in Chinese?
"foreign language" in Chinese is 外语 (wài yǔ).
外语 meaning in English
外语 (wài yǔ) means "Foreign language".
How is 外语 pronounced?
It is pronounced wài yǔ (written as wai yu, waiyu). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "foreign language" in Chinese characters?
It is written 外语: 外 has 5 strokes, 语 has 9 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK 3.0 level is 外语?
外语 is on the HSK 3.0 level 3 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.
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