Meaning of 告诉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to tell; to inform; to let know
- to press charges; to file a complaint
How to use 告诉
告诉 is the everyday word for telling someone something. The person you tell comes right after it, then the information. Example: 请告诉我你的名字。(Qǐng gàosu wǒ nǐ de míngzi.) Please tell me your name.
告 (gào) means to announce, and 诉 (sù) has the speech radical 讠 on the left, so it is about speaking. Put them together: you announce something in words, which means to tell someone.
Common mistake: Learners often use 说 (shuō) where 告诉 is needed. 说 does not take the listener as a direct object, so say 告诉他 (gàosu tā), not 说他. Also, in the 'tell' sense the second syllable is usually neutral tone, gàosu, not a full fourth tone.
告诉 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
告 gào · to say · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
诉 sù · to accuse · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 告诉.
| 广告 | guǎnggào | to advertise; a commercial |
| 报告 | bàogào | to inform; to report |
| 告别 | gàobié | to leave; to part from; to bid farewell to; to say goodbye to |
| 投诉 | tóusù | to lodge a complaint |
| 转告 | zhuǎngào | to pass on; to communicate |
| 警告 | jǐnggào | to warn; to admonish |
| 公告 | gōnggào | post; announcement |
| 起诉 | qǐsù | to sue; to bring a lawsuit against |
| 被告 | bèigào | (law) the defendant; the accused |
| 原告 | yuángào | complainant; plaintiff |
| 告知 | gàozhī | to inform; to notify |
| 诉讼 | sùsòng | lawsuit |
Questions about 告诉
What does 告诉 mean?
告诉 (gàosu) means "to tell; to inform; to let know" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 告诉?
告诉 is made of 2 characters: 告 (7 strokes), 诉 (7 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 告诉 an HSK word?
Yes. 告诉 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 告诉 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 告诉 is written 告訴.
When is 告诉 pronounced gàosù with a full fourth tone?
The full tone gàosù is used in the legal sense of pressing charges or filing a complaint. This is a formal, written usage. In daily speech meaning 'to tell', say gàosu with a light second syllable.
What is the difference between 告诉 and 转告?
告诉 means you tell someone directly. 转告 (zhuǎngào) means you pass a message on from one person to another, as in 请转告他 (qǐng zhuǎngào tā), please pass this on to him.