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HSK 3

讲

to speak; to tell; to explain

verbneutral
讲
jiǎng3rd tone

HSK level

1
2
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6
Pinyin
jiǎng
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
6
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 讲

讲 is written with 6 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 讲 mean?

讲 (jiǎng) means 'to speak, to tell, to explain.'

It overlaps with 说 (shuō, 'to say') but carries a more deliberate, structured feeling — you 讲 something to teach, narrate, or unpack it. A teacher 讲课 (gives a lesson), a parent 讲故事 (tells a story), a friend 讲道理 (reasons something out).

Three useful distinctions: first, 讲 implies the speaker is giving an account that the listener will absorb — narration or explanation rather than quick exchange; second, 讲 can also mean 'to value, to pay attention to' in fixed expressions like 讲卫生 ('be hygienic'), 讲面子 ('care about face'), 讲信用 ('keep one's word'); third, as a regional verb it functions as the local word for 'speak' in much of southern China (讲粤语 'speak Cantonese,' 讲普通话 'speak Mandarin'). For everyday 'say,' default to 说; reach for 讲 when explaining, narrating, or referring to language use.

Note: Slightly more formal or considered than 说. Teachers 讲 a lesson; storytellers 讲 a story. In casual chat, 说 is more common.

Example sentences

妈妈给我讲故事。

Māma gěi wǒ jiǎng gùshi.

Mom tells me a story.

spoken

老师讲得很清楚。

Lǎoshī jiǎng de hěn qīngchu.

The teacher explains very clearly.

neutral

你会讲中文吗？

Nǐ huì jiǎng zhōngwén ma?

Can you speak Chinese?

spoken

请你再讲一次。

Qǐng nǐ zài jiǎng yīcì.

Please explain it one more time.

neutral, polite

Common phrases with 讲

讲故事jiǎng gùshito tell a story
讲课jiǎngkèto give a lesson; to lecture
讲中文jiǎng zhōngwénto speak Chinese
讲道理jiǎng dàolito reason; to argue logically
讲清楚jiǎng qīngchuto explain clearly

Synonyms

说shuō

说 is the everyday 'to say, to speak' — quicker and more conversational. 讲 implies more deliberate explanation or narration. Quick replies use 说; teaching a concept or telling a story uses 讲.

告诉gàosù

告诉 ('to tell [someone something]') always takes a person object — 告诉我 ('tell me'). 讲 can stand alone (他在讲, 'he's speaking') or take a content object (讲故事). Use 告诉 when relaying information to a specific listener.

说话shuōhuà

说话 ('to speak, to talk') is the general act of talking. 讲 emphasizes the content — what is being explained or told. 'Don't speak loudly' uses 说话; 'tell us about it' uses 讲.

Don't confuse 讲 with

奖jiǎng

奖 (jiǎng) means 'prize, award' — 得奖 (win a prize). Same pinyin and tone as 讲, but the bottom component differs (大 for 奖 vs 井 for 讲).

讨tǎo

讨 (tǎo, 'to ask for, to discuss') shares the 讠 speech radical with 讲 but has a different right side and very different meaning — 讨论 (to discuss).

FAQ

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