Meaning of 投诉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to lodge a complaint
How to use 投诉
投诉 is the everyday word for making a formal complaint to a company, hotel, platform, or government office. It often takes 向 to mark who receives the complaint, or names the target directly as the object. Example: 我要向经理投诉这个服务员。(Wǒ yào xiàng jīnglǐ tóusù zhège fúwùyuán.) I want to complain to the manager about this waiter.
投 (tóu) means to throw or send, and 诉 (sù) means to tell or state, with the speech radical 讠 on the left. To complain is to send your words to someone who can fix the problem.
Common mistake: Learners often use 投诉 for casual grumbling, but that is 抱怨 (bàoyuàn). 投诉 means reporting a problem to someone with authority. Also do not confuse it with 起诉 (qǐsù), which means taking someone to court.
投诉 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.
投 tóu · to throw · 7 strokes
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诉 sù · to accuse · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 投诉.
| 告诉 | gàosu | to press charges; to file a complaint |
| 投资 | tóuzī | investment; to invest |
| 投入 | tóurù | to throw into; to put into |
| 投票 | tóupiào | to vote; to cast a vote |
| 起诉 | qǐsù | to sue; to bring a lawsuit against |
| 投降 | tóuxiáng | to surrender |
| 诉讼 | sùsòng | lawsuit |
| 上诉 | shàngsù | to appeal (a judicial case); appeal |
| 倾诉 | qīngsù | to say everything (that is on one's mind) |
| 走投无路 | zǒutóu-wúlù | to be at an impasse (idiom); in a tight spot |
| 诉说 | sùshuō | to recount; to tell of |
| 投机 | tóujī | congenial; agreeable; to speculate; to profiteer |
Questions about 投诉
What does 投诉 mean?
投诉 (tóusù) means "to lodge a complaint" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 投诉?
投诉 is made of 2 characters: 投 (7 strokes), 诉 (7 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 投诉 an HSK word?
Yes. 投诉 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 投诉 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 投诉 is written 投訴.
Can 投诉 be used as a noun?
Yes. It works as a noun in phrases like 接到投诉 (jiēdào tóusù, to receive a complaint) and 投诉电话 (tóusù diànhuà, complaint hotline).
How do I say 'complain about someone' with 投诉?
You can put the person or company right after the verb, as in 投诉快递公司 (tóusù kuàidì gōngsī, complain about the delivery company). To say who you complain to, use 向 before the verb, as in 向客服投诉 (xiàng kèfú tóusù).