说明 (shuō míng) — to explain in Mandarin
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#537 most common word · HSK 4 · CEFR B1
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
说明 is pronounced shuō míng. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
nǐ néng shuōmíng yīxià zhè shì shénme yìsi ma?
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 说明 mean?+
说明 (shuō míng) means "to explain" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 说明?+
说明 is pronounced shuō míng. It uses the tone 1 (high flat), then the tone 2 (rising). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 说明 in Mandarin?+
说明 is the #537 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 说明 fits
Every HSK 4 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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