实话 (shíhuà) · the truth

实话 (shíhuà) means “the truth; honest words”. It is written with 2 characters: 实 (real) + 话 (words). It is an old HSK 5 word (HSK 2.0).

How 实话 is built

The characters

实 shí · real

What 实 is made of

宀 — roof
- 丶 — dot
- 冖mì — cover
头tóu — head
- ⺀ — ice
- 大dà — big
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 人rén — person

话 huà · words

What 话 is made of

讠yán — speech
舌shé — tongue
- 千qiān — thousand
  - 丿 — falling stroke
  - 十 — ten
- 口kǒu — mouth
  - 冂 — frame
  - 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: A spoken 讠 tongue 舌; 舌 also provides the pronunciation (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

说实话，我不太喜欢这个菜。Shuō shíhuà, wǒ bù tài xǐhuan zhège cài.To tell the truth, I don't really like this dish.

你应该跟父母说实话。Nǐ yīnggāi gēn fùmǔ shuō shíhuà.You should tell your parents the truth.

Questions about 实话

What does 实话 mean?

实话 (shíhuà) means “the truth; honest words”.

How do you pronounce 实话?

实话 is pronounced shíhuà.

Which HSK level is 实话?

实话 is in Old HSK 5.

Related words

Learn 实话 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 5 · Group 86: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

Open the group