谣言
yáo yán · HSK 7
rumor
🗣️ 谣言 = 谣 (ballad/rumor) + 言 (words/speech): unfounded talk passed around
言 is the speech radical, seen in many talking-related words. Pair it with 谣, the same 谣 in 民谣 (folk ballad), and you get words that spread like a catchy tune with no source: a rumor.