語

Encompasses the ideas of spoken communication and language itself.

Representative meanings include: to inform, to announce, to speak / to talk, to answerm, to explain.

It is a phonosemantic compound character, made by combining:

言 (언) – the component indicating the meaning (“speech, words”);

吾 (오) – the component indicating the sound.

According to etymologists, when viewed purely phonologically (by sound), 語 is the original form, and 言 later derived from it.

《說文解字》 (Shuowen Jiezi):

「語，論也。」

“語 means to discuss / to speak.”

In modern Korean vocabulary:

Words using 언 (言) tend to refer to the content of speech (e.g., 발언 statement, 언론 press).

Words using 어 (語) often refer to the form or classification of language (e.g., 어휘 vocabulary, 국어 national language).

언어 (言語) — language

어휘 (語彙) — vocabulary

어법 (語法) — grammar

어순 (語順) — word order

어감 (語感) — linguistic nuance; feel of words

어조 (語調) — tone of speech

구어 (口語) — spoken language

문어 (文語) — written language

Related characters:

言 — speech; words (more abstract)

話 — talk; conversation

詞 — words; diction (literary)

文 — written language; text

語 emphasizes meaningful language, not noise. It bridges spoken and written language.

Classical citations:

《論語》 (The Analects)

「君子欲訥於言而敏於行。」

“The noble man wishes to be slow in speech and quick in action.”

Here 言 and 語 belong to the same semantic field of speech.

《史記》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「不可同日而語。」

“They cannot be spoken of on the same day” — cannot be compared.