曰
yuē · HSK 7
say
🗣️ 曰 = 口 (mouth) with a stroke for breath coming out = to say
曰 — mouth 口 with a stroke inside indicating speech
曰 is a pictograph of an open mouth (口) with a short horizontal stroke inside representing breath or words coming out. It originally meant 'to say' or 'to speak,' and in Classical Chinese it introduces quoted speech, much like English 'said.' It is unrelated to 日 (sun), though the two look similar; 曰 is wider and flatter.