讼 meaning and stroke order
To accuse, to argue; to dispute, to litigate
How to write 讼, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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Meaning of 讼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- litigation
How 讼 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
讠 gives the meaning and 公 hints at the sound.
Radical: 讠 (words), shared by 144 characters on this site.
How to remember 讼
讼 combines the speech radical 讠 with 公 (gōng), which gives the sound. Picture people bringing their words before the public to argue a case.
讼 is rarely used alone in modern Chinese and mostly appears in formal or legal words such as 诉讼 (sùsòng, lawsuit). Example: 他们决定提起诉讼。 (Tāmen juédìng tíqǐ sùsòng.) They decided to file a lawsuit.
Common mistake: Learners often read 讼 as gōng because of the 公 component, but the correct reading is sòng with a fourth tone. It is also easy to confuse with 颂 (sòng, to praise), which shares the sound but uses 页 instead of 讠.
Common words with 讼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 诉讼 | sùsòng | lawsuit | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 讼
How many strokes are in 讼?
讼 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 讼 mean?
讼 (sòng) means to accuse, to argue; to dispute, to litigate. A common word with it is 诉讼 (sùsòng), meaning "lawsuit".
How do you pronounce 讼?
讼 is pronounced sòng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 讼?
The radical of 讼 is 讠, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 讼 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 讼?
The traditional form of 讼 is 訟. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 讼 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 讼 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 讼 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 讼 by itself to mean sue?
Not usually. In everyday Chinese you would say 起诉 (qǐsù) or 告 (gào) for to sue, and 讼 appears inside compounds like 诉讼.
What other words contain 讼?
Besides 诉讼, you may see 诉讼费 (sùsòngfèi, legal costs) in legal texts. The idiom 争讼 (zhēngsòng, to dispute in court) also appears in formal writing.