Chinese word

方言

Pronunciation

Pinyinfāng yán

Meaning

  • noundialect

Example

我不会说方言。wǒ bú huì shuō fāng yán

I can't speak a dialect.

Illustration for 方言 (dialect)

More examples

他能说一口流利的方言。tā néng shuō yì kǒu liú lì de fāng yán

He can speak a dialect fluently.

Core concept

A way of speaking tied to a particular place or group, with its own sounds, words, and grammar.

Common phrases

  • 说一口方言shuō yì kǒu fāng yán

    speak a dialect fluently

  • 失去方言shī qù fāng yán

    lose one's dialect

  • 用方言交流yòng fāng yán jiāo liú

    communicate in a dialect

Similar words

口音kǒu yīn: A pronunciation pattern that shows a speaker's personal or regional accent.
乡音xiāng yīn: The pronunciation and speech style associated with someone's home region.
地方话dì fāng huà: The local speech used by people in a particular area, including its special words and expressions.

Definition in Chinese

某一地区或群体使用的、在发音、词汇或语法上与标准语存在差异的语言变体，通常用于口头交流并反映地域文化特点。mǒu yí dì qū huò qún tǐ shǐ yòng de zài fā yīn cí huì huò yú fǎ shàng yǔ biāo zhún yǔ cún zài chā yì de yǔ yán biàn tǐ tōng cháng yòng yú kǒu tóu jiāo liú bìng fǎn yìng dì yù wén huà tè diǎn

Word origin

The compound 方 (fāng, "place") + 言 (yán, "speech") presents a form of speech associated with a specific place or community.

Usage tips

  • A regional variety is not necessarily an error or a separate language, and speakers may use it informally while using standard speech in formal settings.

Other meanings

  • local languagenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 方言词典fāng yán cí diǎndialect dictionarynoun
  • 方言化fāng yán huàdialectizeverb

Word lists with this word