说 (shuō) is a Chinese character meaning “to say”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 兑 (to exchange; to convert (as in 兑换)), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to say; to speak”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
讠 + 兑
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（讠2画 + 兑7画 = 说9画；笔画 0–1 为「讠」，笔画 2–8 与「兑」逐笔对应）
Memory aid
Speech (讠) on the left, 兑 "to exchange" on the right: words exchanged back and forth — that is speaking, to say.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 听说tīng shuōto hear of; it is said that说 = shuō
- 传说chuán shuōlegend; it is said that说 = shuō
- 劝说quàn shuōto persuade; to talk someone into something说 = shuō
- 虽说suī shuōalthough (spoken style)说 = shuō
- 说谎shuō huǎngto tell a lie; to lie说 = shuō
Go deeper
All readings
to say; to speak
to say; to speak; to talk; to explain; to scold
用话表达意思；讲。也指解释、责备。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 听说tīng shuōto hear of; it is said that说 = shuō
- 传说chuán shuōlegend; it is said that说 = shuō
- 劝说quàn shuōto persuade; to talk someone into something说 = shuō
- 虽说suī shuōalthough (spoken style)说 = shuō
- 说谎shuō huǎngto tell a lie; to lie说 = shuō
Rare readings, not taught: shuì, yuè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 说 mean?
说 (shuō) means to say; to speak; to talk; to explain; to scold.
How do you pronounce 说?
It is pronounced shuō.
What parts is 说 made of?
讠 (speech radical) and 兑 (to exchange; to convert (as in 兑换)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（讠2画 + 兑7画 = 说9画；笔画 0–1 为「讠」，笔画 2–8 与「兑」逐笔对应）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 说 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 说?
讠. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 说?
Common ones are 听说, 传说, 劝说. The reading of 说 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.