說 meaning and stroke order
To speak, to say; to scold, to upbraid
How to write 說, stroke by stroke
14 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 說
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to persuade
- to speak; to talk; to say
- to explain; to comment
- to scold; to tell off
- (bound form) theory; doctrine
How 說 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
言 gives the meaning and 兌 hints at the sound.
Radical: 言 (words), shared by 155 characters on this site.
How to remember 說
說 is built from 言 (speech) on the left and 兌 (duì) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture words coming out of the 言 side whenever you say something.
說 (shuō) is the everyday verb for saying, talking or explaining, and it appears in many common words like 說話 (shuōhuà), 聽說 (tīngshuō) and 小說 (xiǎoshuō). It can also mean to scold someone. Example: 他說他明天來。(Tā shuō tā míngtiān lái.) He says he is coming tomorrow.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 說 (shuō) with 話 (huà) or 講 (jiǎng), which share the 言 side, or they write the right part as 兑 when writing traditional characters. Note that 說 is the traditional form, while mainland simplified text uses 说.
Common words with 說
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 說話 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say | HSK 1 |
| 聽說 | tīngshuō | to hear (sth said); one hears (that) | HSK 2 |
| 說明 | shuōmíng | to explain; to illustrate | HSK 2 |
| 小說 | xiǎoshuō | novel; fiction | HSK 2 |
| 比如說 | bǐrú shuō | for example | HSK 2 |
| 傳說 | chuánshuō | legend; folk tale; to repeat from mouth to mouth; they say that... | HSK 3 |
| 據說 | jùshuō | it is said that; reportedly | HSK 3 |
| 說服 | shuōfú | to persuade; to convince | HSK 4 |
| 說不定 | shuōbudìng | can't say for sure; maybe | HSK 4 |
| 一般來說 | yībānláishuō | generally speaking | HSK 4 |
| 說法 | shuōfǎ | to expound Buddhist teachings | HSK 5 |
| 再說 | zàishuō | to say again; to put off a discussion until later | HSK 6 |
| 說實話 | shuō shíhuà | to speak the truth; truth to tell | HSK 6 |
| 就是說 | jiùshìshuō | in other words; that is | HSK 6 |
Questions about 說
How many strokes are in 說?
說 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 說 mean?
說 (shuō) means to speak, to say; to scold, to upbraid. A common word with it is 说话 (shuōhuà), meaning "to speak; to say".
How do you pronounce 說?
說 is pronounced shuō, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 說?
The radical of 說 is 言, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 說 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 說?
說 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 说, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 說 (shuō) and 告訴 (gàosu)?
說 means to say or speak and does not need a listener as its object, as in 他說了很多 (he said a lot). 告訴 means to tell someone something and takes a person as the object, as in 告訴我 (tell me). You usually say 跟他說 (tell him) rather than 說他, because 說他 can mean to scold him.
Why is 說 sometimes read shuì?
In the reading shuì, 說 means to persuade, mostly in classical or literary phrases such as 遊說 (yóushuì), to go around lobbying. In modern everyday speech, persuading is usually expressed with 說服 (shuōfú), read with shuō.