告诉
to tell; to inform
HSK level
- Pinyin
- gàosu
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 14
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 2
Stroke order for 告诉
告诉 is written with 14 strokes (告: 7, 诉: 7). The animation replays automatically.
What does 告诉 mean?
告诉 (gàosu) means 'to tell / to inform' — to convey a piece of information to someone.
The defining feature for English speakers is its grammar: 告诉 always takes the listener as a direct object before the content. The pattern is 告诉 + person + content: 我告诉你一件事 ('I'll tell you something'), 他告诉我他要走了 ('he told me he was going to leave'). You cannot say 我告诉一件事 without specifying WHO you're telling. Compare with English 'I told a story,' which works without naming the listener.
The second character 诉 takes a neutral tone in everyday speech (gàosu, not gàosù). Don't confuse 告诉 with 说 (shuō, 'to say / speak'): 说 is about producing speech, while 告诉 is specifically about delivering information to a recipient. For 'don't tell anyone,' the standard form is 别告诉别人 (bié gàosu biérén).
Character by character
Hear 告诉 in real episodes
告诉 appears in 2 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Example sentences
请告诉我你的名字。
Qǐng gàosu wǒ nǐ de míngzi.
Please tell me your name.
polite
他告诉我他明天来。
Tā gàosu wǒ tā míngtiān lái.
He told me he's coming tomorrow.
neutral
别告诉别人，这是个秘密。
Bié gàosu biérén, zhè shì ge mìmì.
Don't tell anyone, this is a secret.
spoken
你能告诉我怎么去车站吗？
Nǐ néng gàosu wǒ zěnme qù chēzhàn ma?
Can you tell me how to get to the station?
polite
我有一件事要告诉你。
Wǒ yǒu yí jiàn shì yào gàosu nǐ.
I have something to tell you.
spoken
Common phrases with 告诉
Synonyms
说 means 'to say / speak.' 说 focuses on the act of speaking; 告诉 focuses on delivering information to a recipient. 他说话 = 'he speaks'; 他告诉我 = 'he tells me.' Don't substitute 说 when you mean 'tell someone something.'
通知 means 'to notify / inform' formally — used for announcements, official messages, work notifications. 告诉 is everyday personal telling; 通知 is institutional.
Don't confuse 告诉 with
诉 alone means 'to complain / sue' (诉苦, 'pour out grievances'; 诉讼, 'lawsuit'). The 诉 in 告诉 takes neutral tone and only contributes to the meaning 'tell.' Different solo meaning.
告 alone means 'to announce / to sue' in formal/legal contexts (告状, 'lodge a complaint'). 告诉 is the everyday 'tell.'
FAQ
Related words from the same episodes
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