HSK 5 · Education

语气 yǔqì “tone” in Chinese

Traditional 語氣

What 语气 means

  1. tone
  2. manner of speaking
  3. mood

Measure word 个 gè · 一个语气 yí ge yǔqì

How to say 语气

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale语yǔ3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale气qì4th tone, falling

语气 in a sentence

  1. 你有没有发现他说话的语气有点古怪？

    Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu fāxiàn tā shuōhuà de yǔqì yǒudiǎn gǔguài?

    Did you notice that his tone was a bit strange?

    Sentence #565566 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  2. 他说话的语气好像是在害怕什么。

    Tā shuōhuà de yǔqì hǎoxiàng shì zài hàipà shénme.

    From his tone, he sounds as if he’s afraid of something.

    Sentence #13523572 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 语气 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 语 (yǔ) with each of its parts in a different colour
语yǔdialect
  • 讠speech form of 言 · yánMeaning part
  • 吾I · wúSound part

讠 hints at the meaning (speech); 吾 (wú) hints at the sound. Compare it with yǔ.

Memory aidWords 讠 that I 吾 say: language. 吾 (wú) also gives the sound.

The character 气 (qì) drawn as one shape
气qìgas; air

气 is a single shape of 4 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

Memory aidDrawn from layers of vapour rising: air, steam, breath.

How to write 语气

语 9 strokes · 气 4 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

语气 (yǔqì) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 语气 (yǔqì). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 语气

Words with 语

汉语Hànyǔ · Mandarin (Han language)外语wàiyǔ · foreign language词语cíyǔ · words and expressions语法yǔfǎ · grammar语言yǔyán · language成语chéngyǔ · idiom母语mǔyǔ · mother tongue谜语míyǔ · riddle

Words with 气

天气tiānqì · weather不客气bú kèqi · you’re welcome生气shēngqì · angry气qì · air力气lìqi · strength空气kōngqì · air气候qìhòu · climate脾气píqi · temper淘气táoqì · naughty小气xiǎoqì · stingy

More words: Education & Learning

学历xuélì · educational background学问xuéwèn · learning训练xùnliàn · to train幼儿园yòu'éryuán · kindergarten哲学zhéxué · philosophy字母zìmǔ · letter (of the alphabet)作文zuòwén · to write an essay背诵bèisòng · to recite (from memory)

FAQs

语气 (yǔqì) means “tone” or “manner of speaking”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it yǔqì: yǔ with a 3rd tone, then qì with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 语气 is written 語氣. The pronunciation is the same.
Use 个 (gè). For example, one tone is 一个语气 (yí ge yǔqì).
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type yuqi with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 语气 from the suggestions. Typing yuqi into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
语气 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Turn words into conversations

A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.

Book a free intro call

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.