饒舌 / 饶舌
ráoshé
In Chinese, rap music can be expressed as 饒舌 / 饶舌 (ráoshé) or 說唱 / 说唱.
Meaning: music form (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 饒舌 / 饶舌 | ráoshé |
| 說唱 / 说唱 | shuōchàng |
Both terms are used to refer to the musical genre of rap. You can also use the term 说唱歌手 to refer to a rapper.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 饒舌 / 饶舌 (ráoshé) literally means 'talkative' or 'verbose'. The term 說唱 / 说唱 (shuōchàng) literally means 'to speak and to sing'.
Which one should you use?
說唱 / 说唱 is the more formal and technical term for the genre of rap music. In contrast, 饒舌 / 饶舌 is a more colloquial term used to describe the style of rap or the act of rapping itself.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Traditional Chinese, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, the form 饒舌 is used. In Simplified Chinese, used in Mainland China, the form 饶舌 is used.
How do you pronounce it?
ráoshé
Did you know?
- While 說唱 refers to rap today, it was historically used to describe traditional Chinese storytelling and folk opera where performers narrated stories in a rhythmic, melodic chant.
- In Chinese, the colloquial term for rap, 饒舌 / 饶舌, is the same word used to describe someone who is 'talkative' or 'windy' in a negative sense. Calling a person 饒舌 might imply they are being annoyingly verbose rather than musically talented.
- Because 說唱 / 说唱 literally means 'to speak and to sing', it has sparked debates among traditionalists about whether rap truly qualifies as 'singing' under strict musical definitions.
Examples in context
- 他很喜欢嘻哈音乐。He really likes rap music.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rap music” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
