说 shuō — speak, explain · English

说

shuō

speak, explain

At a glance · 说

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从言兑声，形声字，本指陈述、解说。隶楷作「說」，简化作「说」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「说」本指解说、谈论，引申为言论、主张。

Structure

形声字，言为意符，兑为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinshuō

Radical讠

Strokes9

UnicodeU+8BF4

Character type形声

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English speak, explain To speak, tell, or explain; a theory.

Français parler, expliquer Parler, dire ou expliquer; une théorie.

Español hablar, explicar Hablar, decir o explicar; una teoría.

العربية يقول، يشرح يقول أو يشرح أو نظرية.

Русский говорить, объяснять Говорить, рассказывать или объяснять; учение.

Common words

说话shuō huàspeak
说服shuō fúpersuade

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