告诉 (gào su) — to tell; to inform in Mandarin
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#429 most common word · HSK 2 · CEFR A2
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
告诉 is pronounced gào su. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
mā ma gào su wǒ yào hǎo hao xué xí.
Mom told me to study hard.
Hear it, then say it right
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 告诉 mean?+
告诉 (gào su) means "to tell; to inform" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 告诉?+
告诉 is pronounced gào su. It uses the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 告诉 in Mandarin?+
告诉 is the #429 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 告诉 fits
Every HSK 2 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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