Today’s word of the day is 言 (yán) which means ‘words’. Let’s practice by making different words, phrases, and sentences with 言 (yán).
留言 (liú yán) To leave a message
The first word is 留言 (liú yán) which means ‘to leave a message’. Let’s look at each character of this word, 留 means ‘to leave’ and 言 means words. You may see on many websites, a form with the title 给我们留言。 (Gěi wǒmen liúyán.) Leave us a message.
语言 (yǔ yán) Language
Another word we can create with 言 (yán) is 语言 (yǔ yán). This means language. A way of using it in a sentence is 你会说几种语言？ (Nǐ huì shuō jǐ zhǒng yǔyán.) How many languages do you speak?
预言 (yù yán) Prophecy
Finally, we can create the word 预言 (yù yán) which means prophecy. The 预 here means to predict. A sentence you may hear in Chinese dramas is 你的预言成真了。(Nǐ de yùyán chéng zhēnle.) Your prophecy has come true.