说 meaning and stroke order
To speak; to talk; to say; to explain; to comment; to scold; to tell off
How to write 说, stroke by stroke
9 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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- 9
Meaning of 说
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to speak; to talk; to say
- to explain; to comment
- to scold; to tell off
- (bound form) theory; doctrine
- variant of 說|说[shuo1]
- to persuade
How 说 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
讠 gives the meaning and 兑 hints at the sound.
Radical: 讠 (words), shared by 144 characters on this site.
How to remember 说
The left side 讠 is the speech radical, a simplified form of 言 (yán, words). The right side 兑 (duì) gives the sound, so think of 说 as "words coming out" to say something.
说 (shuō) is one of the most common verbs in Chinese. It covers saying, speaking, explaining, and even scolding someone. 他说明天下雨。(Tā shuō míngtiān xià yǔ.) He says it will rain tomorrow.
Common mistake: Learners often use 说 where 告诉 (gàosu) is needed. You 告诉 a person something, as in 告诉我 (gàosu wǒ), not 说我, because 说我 means "to scold me." Also, 说 is first tone (shuō), so do not let it drop to a falling tone.
Common words with 说
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say | HSK 1 |
| 听说 | tīngshuō | to hear (sth said); one hears (that) | HSK 2 |
| 说明 | shuōmíng | to explain; to illustrate | HSK 2 |
| 小说 | xiǎoshuō | novel; fiction | HSK 2 |
| 比如说 | bǐrú shuō | for example | HSK 2 |
| 传说 | chuánshuō | legend; folk tale; to repeat from mouth to mouth; they say that... | HSK 3 |
| 据说 | jùshuō | it is said that; reportedly | HSK 3 |
| 说服 | shuōfú | to persuade; to convince | HSK 4 |
| 说不定 | shuōbudìng | can't say for sure; maybe | HSK 4 |
| 一般来说 | yībānláishuō | generally speaking | HSK 4 |
| 说法 | shuōfǎ | to expound Buddhist teachings | HSK 5 |
| 再说 | zàishuō | to say again; to put off a discussion until later | HSK 6 |
| 说实话 | shuō shíhuà | to speak the truth; truth to tell | HSK 6 |
| 就是说 | jiùshìshuō | in other words; that is | HSK 6 |
说 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 说
How many strokes are in 说?
说 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 说 mean?
说 (shuō) means to speak; to talk; to say; to explain; to comment; to scold; to tell off. A common word with it is 说话 (shuōhuà), meaning "to speak; to say".
How do you pronounce 说?
说 is pronounced shuō, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 说?
The radical of 说 is 讠, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 说 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 说?
The traditional form of 说 is 說 and 説. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 说 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 说 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 说 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 说 (shuō) and 讲 (jiǎng)?
Both mean to speak, but 讲 often suggests explaining or telling at length, as in 讲故事 (jiǎng gùshi), to tell a story. 说 is more general and more common in everyday speech.
When is 说 pronounced shuì?
It is read shuì only in the sense "to persuade," mostly in the literary word 游说 (yóushuì), to lobby. In modern words like 说服 (shuōfú), it is read shuō.