诉 sù — complain; sue; tell
他向老师诉说了自己的烦恼。Tā xiàng lǎo shī sù shuō le zì jǐ de fán nǎo.He told the teacher about his worries.
Common words: 告诉 (gào sù)、投诉 (tóu sù)、起诉 (qǐ sù)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "complain"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "complain", including 诉 (sù), 怨 (yuàn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "complain" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 诉 (sù), 怨 (yuàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span sù, yuàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 诉 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 诉 sùcomplain; sue; tellUseful words: 告诉, 投诉
- 怨 yuànblame; complainUseful words: 抱怨, 埋怨
Common words for these 2 "complain" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 诉 (sù) — so "complain" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
告诉gào sùto press charges; to file a complaint投诉tóu sùto lodge a complaint起诉qǐ sùto sue; to bring a lawsuit against; to prosecute抱怨bào yuànto complain; to grumble; to harbor a complaint; to feel dissatisfied埋怨mán yuànto complain; to grumble (about); to reproach; to blame恩怨ēn yuàngratitude and grudges; resentment; grudges; grievances
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "complain".
怨 yuàn — blame; complain
遇到困难时不要抱怨，要想办法解决。Yù dào kùn nán shí bú yào bào yuàn, yào xiǎng bàn fǎ jiě jué.When you meet difficulties, do not complain; find a way to solve them.
Common words: 抱怨 (bào yuàn)、埋怨 (mán yuàn)、恩怨 (ēn yuàn)
All 2 characters
Open 诉、怨 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.