Learn a Chinese Character

1. Character Basics

Radical: 口/kǒu (mouth radical)

Stroke Count: 5

Stroke Order:

Pinyin: jiào (fourth tone)

To call; to shout; to cry; to yell; to be called; to be named; to order; to ask

叫 (jiào) - to call, to shout
他在叫你的名字。

He is calling your name.
叫声 (jiàoshēng) - cry, shout
远处传来了狗的叫声。

The barking of dogs came from far away.
叫做 (jiàozuò) - to be called, to be named
这种花叫做玫瑰。

This kind of flower is called a rose.
叫醒 (jiàoxǐng) - to wake up
明天早上请叫醒我。

Please wake me up tomorrow morning.
叫喊 (jiàohǎn) - to shout, to yell
不要大声叫喊，会吵醒别人。

Don't shout loudly, you'll wake others up.
叫苦 (jiàokǔ) - to complain of hardship
遇到困难不要总是叫苦。

Don't always complain when facing difficulties.

The character 叫 is a versatile verb with several important grammatical functions:

As a transitive verb meaning "to call" or "to shout":
我叫他过来。 (I called him over.)

孩子在大声叫妈妈。 (The child is calling for his mother loudly.)
As a verb meaning "to be called" or "to be named":
他叫李明。 (His name is Li Ming.)

这种水果叫什么名字？ (What is this kind of fruit called?)
In the structure "把...叫做..." meaning "to call...":
我们把这种动物叫做熊猫。 (We call this animal a panda.)
As a causative verb meaning "to make" or "to cause":
这部电影叫人感动。 (This movie makes people moved.)

叫 is one of the most commonly used verbs in Chinese, appearing in both spoken and written language across various contexts.

The character 叫 has rich cultural significance in Chinese language and society:

In traditional Chinese culture, addressing others with appropriate 称呼 (chēnghu) (terms of address) is very important, and 叫 is central to this practice.
There are many idioms and sayings using 叫, such as 叫苦连天 (jiàokǔliántiān) which means "to complain bitterly" and 大喊大叫 (dàhǎndàjiào) which means "to shout loudly".
Chinese people often use 叫 to politely ask someone to do something, as in 请叫他来一下 (qǐng jiào tā lái yīxià) meaning "Please ask him to come here".
In Chinese operas and traditional performing arts, the technique of 叫板 (jiàobǎn) refers to a special way of singing or reciting lines.

Today, 叫 remains an essential part of everyday communication in Chinese, used in various contexts from casual conversations to formal situations.

Chinese: 老师叫我们认真学习。

Pinyin: Lǎoshī jiào wǒmen rènzhēn xuéxí.

Translation: The teacher tells us to study hard.

The character 叫 (jiào) can be broken down into two parts:

The left part is 口 (kǒu), the mouth radical, which indicates that this character is related to an action performed with the mouth.
The right part is 丩 (jiū), which provides the pronunciation clue.

To remember this character:

Associate the 口 (mouth) radical with the action of speaking or making sounds with your mouth.
Think of common situations where you might "叫" (call out), such as calling someone's name or shouting for help.
Practice writing the character several times, focusing on the correct stroke order: first the 口 radical on the left, then the 丩 part on the right.
Connect the character to everyday phrases like 叫名字 (call a name) or 叫醒 (wake up) to reinforce your memory.