How to Write 叫 (jiào) — Meaning “to call; to be called; to shout”

Imagine a mouth (口) on the left, and the right side 丩 looks like a person raising both arms to call someone over. So you remember that a mouth and raised arms together mean 'to call'.

Write the left 口 first (3 strokes: vertical, horizontal, horizontal), then the right 丩 (2 strokes: left-falling turn, then vertical). A common mistake is writing the right part as 九 instead of 丩 – keep the two strokes separate and do not curve the vertical line.

口 (kǒu) is a standalone character meaning 'mouth', while 叫 is a verb meaning 'to call'. 卟 (bǔ) is rare and has a different right side (卜); it is used in some onomatopoeia and not interchangeable with 叫.

叫 is very common for introducing yourself (e.g., 我叫小明 'I am called Xiaoming') and asking names (你叫什么？). It is also used for shouting (大叫) or describing animal sounds (狗叫声). Culturally, using 叫 in self-introduction is casual and friendly.

Common words containing 叫 include: 叫什么 (jiào shén me) — What is it called?; 大叫 (dà jiào) — To shout / to scream; 叫声 (jiào shēng) — shout; cry; animal sound.