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HSK 1

说

to say; to speak

verbneutral5 episodes
说
shuō1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
shuō
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 1
Strokes
9
Register
neutral
In episodes
5

Stroke order for 说

说 is written with 9 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 说 mean?

说 (shuō) means 'to say / to speak / to tell.'

It's the core verb for verbal communication — 说话 (shuō huà, 'to speak / talk'), 说中文 (shuō Zhōngwén, 'speak Chinese'), 他说他来 'he says he's coming.' Two things English speakers should know: first, 说 can take a direct quote OR an embedded clause without any 'that': 他说他不来 = 'He said (that) he's not coming' — no 说他说 needed; second, 说 differs from 讲 (jiǎng) in feel: 说 is the everyday neutral verb, while 讲 leans toward 'explain / tell at length' (讲故事 'tell a story').

For 'speak a language,' both work, but 说 is more common at HSK 1: 我会说一点中文 'I can speak a little Chinese.' Also useful: 听说 (tīngshuō, 'I heard that') opens a sentence reporting hearsay.

Hear 说 in real episodes

说 appears in 5 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

Doctors Said He Would Not Reach 13. The Belgian Creator With Progeria Lived to 28.说 spoken at natural speedbeginnerFlorida Pays People to Hunt Pythons. One Man Caught 96 in 10 Days.说 spoken at natural speedbeginnerThe AI Spending War Escalates: Microsoft and Meta Push Capex Toward Astronomical Numbers说 spoken at natural speedmediumSpending More and More on AI: Microsoft and Meta's New Bill说 spoken at natural speedeasyFor AI, Microsoft and Meta Are Spending Like Crazy to Buy Computers说 spoken at natural speedbeginner
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Example sentences

你会说中文吗？

Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?

Can you speak Chinese?

spoken

他说他不来。

Tā shuō tā bù lái.

He says he's not coming.

neutral

请你说慢一点。

Qǐng nǐ shuō màn yīdiǎn.

Please speak a little slower.

polite

我听说你病了。

Wǒ tīngshuō nǐ bìng le.

I heard you're sick.

spoken

Common phrases with 说

说话shuō huàto speak; to talk
说中文shuō Zhōngwénto speak Chinese
听说tīngshuōI heard (that); rumor has it
说一下shuō yīxiàsay (it) briefly; mention
再说zài shuōtalk about it later; besides

Synonyms

讲jiǎng

讲 leans toward 'explain / tell / lecture' — longer-form speech. 讲故事 'tell a story,' 老师讲课 'the teacher lectures.' 说 is shorter and more general. For 'speak a language,' both work — 讲英语 / 说英语 — though 说 is more common in Mainland speech.

告诉gàosù

告诉 means 'to tell SOMEONE something' — it requires a recipient: 我告诉他 'I told him.' 说 can stand alone (我说了 'I said it') or take a clause. If you need 'tell X that Y,' use 告诉, not 说.

Don't confuse 说 with

话huà

话 is the NOUN 'speech / words / what someone says,' not the verb. 说话 = verb 'to speak' (literally 'say words'); just 话 alone = 'words/talk' (他的话 'what he said'). Don't say 我话中文 — say 我说中文.

讲jiǎng

Both mean 'to say/speak,' but 讲 implies more explanation or length. For one-line 'he says X,' use 说. For 'tell a story / give a lecture,' use 讲. Southern speakers (Taiwan, Hong Kong) lean on 讲 more than Northerners.

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

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Acquire it by listening

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