告诉 (gào sù) — to press charges; to file a complaint in Mandarin
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#432 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 sù. 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
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 告诉 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 告诉 mean?+
告诉 (gào sù) means "to press charges; to file a complaint" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 告诉?+
告诉 is pronounced gào sù. 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 #432 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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