(shuō) - to say, to speak in Mandarin
shuōTraditional: 說
Translation
to say, to speak
Word origin
說 (shuō) means 'to say, to speak'. It is a phono-semantic compound with 言 (speech) as the meaning radical and 兌 (duì) as the phonetic component.
- Origin
- phono-semantic compound
- Root
- 言 (speech radical) + 兌 (duì, phonetic)
Stroke order
说
Examples
。
He says he is very busy.
。
Please speak a bit more slowly.
。
Please speak slowly.
语。
The teacher is speaking English.
。
She did not say anything.
说 (shuō) means to say or to speak and is one of the most used verbs in Mandarin.
Where this fits
Appears in 12 words
Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 说.
Used in
Stories
(32)你去吗？
1 min read · Core 1000
在这里
1 min read · Core 1000
不知道在哪里
2 min read · Core 1000
点错了
2 min read · Core 1000
错过公车
3 min read · Core 1000
打电话
3 min read · Core 1000
大伟的工作
3 min read · Core 1000
看医生
3 min read · Core 1000
迷路
3 min read · Core 1000
上班第一天
3 min read · Core 1000
生日的惊喜
3 min read · Core 1000
下雨的下午
3 min read · Core 1000
新的医生
3 min read · Core 1000
新邻居
3 min read · Core 1000
一起做饭
3 min read · Core 1000
早上的市场
3 min read · Core 1000
最后的车
3 min read · Core 1000
今年去哪里
4 min read · Core 1000
卖东西的地方
4 min read · Core 1000
新工作的第一天
4 min read · Core 1000
错过的火车
5 min read · Core 5000
等了两个小时
5 min read · Core 5000
等了三年
5 min read · Core 5000
都变了
5 min read · Core 5000
旧手机
5 min read · Core 5000
看场合
5 min read · Core 1000
李明的旅行
5 min read · Core 5000
那件事
5 min read · Core 5000
想起那个约定
5 min read · Core 5000
小华的比赛
5 min read · Core 5000
有钱没时间
5 min read · Core 5000
中间的树
5 min read · Core 5000
Grammar articles
(31)不但...而且 in Mandarin: Not Only A But Also B (不仅, 还, 也, 并且)
Mandarin 除了...以外: One Frame, Two Opposite Meanings
Mandarin Complements: 得 for Manner, Directional Endings, and How to Attach a Result to a Verb
Mandarin Verb Conjugation: Why It Doesn't Exist and What Replaces It
Figurative Directional Complements in Mandarin: 起来, 下去 and 出来 Beyond Up, Down and Out
The Mandarin Durative 着 (zhe): Marking a State That Continues (门开着, 拿着书, 笑着说)
How to Say Even Though and Even If in Mandarin: 虽然, 即使, 就算 and 尽管
Formal Mandarin Connectives: 然而, 因此, 于是 and 尽管 (The Written Register)
Mandarin Four-Character Idioms (四字格): The Shape, Not the List
Mandarin Intermediate Grammar (B1-B2 / HSK 4-5): Complements, Conjunctions and the Full 了 System
就 (jiù) vs 才 (cái) in Mandarin: Sooner Than Expected, Later Than Expected
The Mandarin 连...都/也 Construction: How to Say 'Even', and Why the Word Has to Move
Mandarin Modal Verbs: 会, 想, 要, 应该, 可以, 能 and the Future-Intent Words 打算, 准备
Mandarin Negation: 不 (bù) vs 没 (méi), and Why 不有 Does Not Exist
Mandarin Potential Complements: Can You Reach the Result? (吃得完, 听不懂, 买不起)
Mandarin Question Formation: 吗, V-Not-V, 还是, and the In-Situ Wh-Word System
Mandarin Relative Clauses with 的 (de): How the Modifier Goes Before the Noun
Mandarin Requests and Imperatives: 请, 别, 不要, the Softening Particles 吧/啊, and Verb Reduplication
Mandarin Resultative Complements: Fusing a Result onto the Verb (看见, 吃完, 找到)
Mandarin Rhetorical Questions: 难道, 不是...吗, 何必 and 岂不
Mandarin Sentence-Final Particles: 吧, 呢, 啊, 嘛, 吗 and the Final 了
The Mandarin 所 (suǒ) Family: 所有, 所谓, 所 + Verb, and the 为...所 Passive
The Three de in Mandarin: 的, 得, and 地 and How to Tell Them Apart
Topic-Comment Structure in Mandarin: Fronting 这本书我看过 and Why Word Order Bends
Mandarin Verb-Object Verbs: Why 'To Eat' Is 吃饭 and How It Splits Apart
Mandarin Verb Reduplication: 看看, 看一看, 休息休息 and the 一下 Alternative
Mandarin Sentence Structure: Word Order, Topic-Comment and the 把 Construction
无论 and 不管 in Mandarin: The No Matter What Frame (无论/不管 ... 都/也)
又 (yòu) vs 再 (zài) vs 还 (hái) in Mandarin: The Three Ways to Say 'Again'
The Mandarin 于 (yú) Family: 对于, 关于, 由于, 至于, 属于, 位于, 终于
The Mandarin 者 (zhě) Suffix: 作者, 读者, 前者, and Naming the One Who Does It
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说: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "说" (to say, to speak): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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