说 (shuō) — to speak, to say, to tell

说 (shuō)

说 is the primary verb for speaking, saying, or telling. It is used for talking in general, speaking a language, and introducing direct or indirect speech.

Meanings

1. [verb] To speak, to say.
2. [verb] To tell, to explain.
3. [verb] To speak (a language), used with 语/话.

Example Sentences

她说中文说得很好。 Tā shuō Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo. She speaks Chinese very well.

他说他不来了。 Tā shuō tā bù lái le. He said he is not coming.

你刚才说什么？ Nǐ gāngcái shuō shénme? What did you just say?

老师说明天有考试。 Lǎoshī shuō míngtiān yǒu kǎoshì. The teacher said there is an exam tomorrow.

Collocations

Memory Hook

说 has the speech radical (讠) on the left, the universal marker for speaking and language-related verbs in Chinese.