说/說 shuō — to say, to speak

Meanings

1. 1

   to say, to speak

   To produce speech. 说 can introduce reported words (他说他明天来) or take a language as its object (说汉语). To talk in general, without naming what is said, use the pair 说话.

   verb
2. 2

   to speak (a language)

   verb

Character breakdown

• 说/說

  shuō (first tone, high and level)

  to speak, to say, to talk; to explain; to tell off (colloquial)

  9 strokes⿰讠兑Radical 言

Example sentences

• 请说汉语。/請說漢語。Qǐng (third tone, dipping) shuō (first tone, high and level) Hànyǔ. (fourth tone, falling)···

  Please speak Chinese.

• 他说他明天来。/他說他明天來。Tā (first tone, high and level) shuō (first tone, high and level) tā (first tone, high and level) míngtiān (second tone, rising) lái. (second tone, rising)···

  He says he’s coming tomorrow.

Common mistakes

• Not quite我想说话汉语。

  Correct我想说汉语。

  说话 already contains its object 话 ("words"), so nothing else can follow it. When you name the language, use 说 on its own.

Similar words

Words containing 说

• 说话/說話shuōhuà (first tone, high and level)to talk, to speak