叫jiào

叫

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

叫 (jiào, "to call/shout") takes the mouth radical (口) on the left as its semantic anchor — the opening that gives voice to meaning. The right component 丩 serves as the phonetic element, and together they form a character that has remained largely unchanged since its earliest appearances. As a verb, it dominates everyday speech: 叫喊 (to shout), 叫卖 (to peddle), 叫出租车 (to hail a taxi) — proving that the simplest combinations often carry the heaviest usage.

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Shuowen

叫 (jiào). The character combines 口 (mouth) with 丩, the latter representing a twisted or curved form that in oracle bone inscriptions depicted the voice or breath emerging from the throat when one calls out. The mouth element emphasizes that calling is a vocal action, while the phonetic component 丩 carries both the sound and the meaning of a sustained, projecting cry. Together they capture the act of raising one's voice to summon or announce.

Pinyin

jiào· HSK 1

叫jiào

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin