叫

jiào
HSK 1
#387 most
frequent character
to shout, to call, to order, to ask
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

叫 joins 口 mouth as the meaning part with 丩 jiū as the sound part. It first meant 'to shout, cry out'. From there it grew to 'to call' and 'to command'.

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Example Sentences

我叫小明。
wǒ jiào xiǎomíng 。
I am called Xiao Ming.
她叫我帮忙。
tā jiào wǒ bāngmáng 。
She asks me to help.
他大声叫。
tā dàshēng jiào 。
He shouts loudly.

Grammar Points

HSK 1
Using the verb "jiao"
HSK 3
Causative verbs

Words with similar meanings

喊hǎn
to shout
more commonly used for a loud call or scream.
呼喊hūhǎn
to call out
implies a strong or urgent call, usually in a loud voice.
叫唤jiàohuàn
to shout (for attention)
usually implies calling to attract someone's attention, often in a more informal context.

Homophones

较jiào
compare, comparatively, relatively
觉jiào
a nap, a sleep
教jiào
religion, teaching, to make
校jiào
to check, to collate, to proofread

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Public Lists with 叫

Basic Verbs
Core action verbs like 'go,' 'come,' 'eat,' 'see,' commonly encountered in HSK.
HSK 1
All words for the HSK 1 test
Communication
Talking, calling, emails, letters, expressions for clarity and tone.