Dictionary › 叫

叫

jiào

Old HSK 1 HSK 3.0 character level 1 Character

叫 (jiào) means "to be called; to call". It is an HSK 3.0 level 1 word, and was HSK 1 in the old six-level list.

What 叫 means

1. to shout
2. to call
3. to order
4. to ask
5. to be called
6. by (indicates agent in the passive mood)

How 叫 is used in grammar

叫 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Passive Constructions: 被, 叫, 让 (HSK 3)
• Pivot Sentences: 叫/让/请+someone+V (HSK 3)
• 使/让/叫 pivot-causative sentences (HSK 4)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 2, special sentence patterns (兼语句); level 4, prepositions (引出施事、受事); level 5, special sentence patterns (被动句).

Other readings

叫 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• jiàovariant of {叫|jiào}

Example sentences

• 叫警察！
  Call the police!
• 叫警察。
  Please call the police.
• 狗会叫。
  Dogs bark.
• 狗在叫。
  The dog is barking.
• 别叫了。
  Stop yelling.
• 他大叫。
  He yelled.

Words starting with 叫

• 叫做jiào zuòto be called; to be known as
• 叫道jiào dàoto call; to shout
• 叫声jiào shēngyelling (sound made by person); barking; braying
• 叫醒jiào xǐngto awaken; to wake sb up; to rouse
• 叫作jiào zuòto call; to be called
• 叫喊jiào hǎnexclamation; outcry; shout
• 叫卖jiào màito hawk (one's wares); to peddle
• 叫好jiào hǎoto applaud; to cheer
• 叫唤jiào huanto cry out; to bark out a sound
• 叫嚣jiào xiāoto hoot
• 叫嚷jiào rǎngto shout; to bellow one's grievances
• 叫法jiào fǎterm; name; way of referring to sb or sth
• 叫苦jiào kǔto whine about hardships; to complain of one's bitter lot; to complain
• 叫板jiào bǎnto signal the musicians…
• 叫花子jiào huā zibeggar
• 叫屈jiào qūto complain of an injustice; to lament sb's misfortune
• 叫停jiào tíng(sports) to call a time-out; to halt; to put a stop to; to put on hold
• 叫早jiào zǎoto give sb a wake-up call (at a hotel)
• 叫车jiào chēto call a cab (by phone); to request a ride (via an app)
• 叫响jiào xiǎngto gain fame and success
• 叫床jiào chuángto cry out in ecstasy (during lovemaking)
• 叫牌jiào páito bid (bridge and similar card games)
• 叫苦连天jiào kǔ lián tiānto whine on for days (idiom); to endlessly grumble complaints; incessant whining
• 叫醒服务jiào xǐng fú wùmorning call; wake-up call (hotel service)

Words containing 叫

• 名叫míng jiàocalled; named
• 尖叫jiān jiàoto screech; to shriek
• 喊叫hǎn jiàoto cry out; to shout
• 惊叫jīng jiàoto cry out in fear
• 惨叫cǎn jiàoto scream; blood-curdling screech; miserable shriek
• 呼叫hū jiàoto shout; to yell; (telecommunications) to call
• 吼叫hǒu jiàoto howl; to bellow; to yell
• 乱叫luàn jiàoto inconsiderately shout
• 嚎叫háo jiàoto howl; to yell
• 鸣叫míng jiàoto emit a sound; (of birds, insects etc) to chirp, hoot etc…
• 大喊大叫dà hǎn dà jiàoshouting and screaming (idiom); to scream loudly; to rant; to kick up a racket
• 大呼小叫dà hū xiǎo jiàoto shout and quarrel; to make a big fuss
• 呱呱叫guā guā jiàoexcellent; tip-top
• 号叫háo jiàoto howl; to yell
• 随叫随到suí jiào suí dàoto be available at any time; to be on call
• 呼叫器hū jiào qìpager; beeper
• 呼叫声hū jiào shēngwhoop
• 呼叫中心hū jiào zhōng xīncall center
• 装穷叫苦zhuāng qióng jiào kǔto feign and complain bitterly of being poverty stricken (idiom)
• 拍案叫绝pāi àn jiào juélit. slap the table and shout with praise (idiom); fig. wonderful!; amazing!; great!
• 鬼叫guǐ jiào(colloquial) to holler; to squawk
• 吓吓叫xià xià jiào(Taiwan) impressive (from Taiwanese 削削叫, Tai-lo pr. [siah-siah-kiò])
• 尖叫鸡jiān jiào jīsqueaky rubber chicken
• 啸叫xiào jiàoto squeal; to screech

Characters that look like 叫

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 纠jiūto gather together; to investigate; to entangle

Sounds the same

Read jiào, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 较(bound form) to compare; (literary) to dispute; compared to
• 轿sedan chair; palanquin; litter
• 觉a nap; a sleep
• 校to check; to collate; to proofread
• 教(bound form) to teach; to instruct; a religion; to cause (sb to do sth)…
• 嚼used in 倒嚼
• 窖cellar; to store in a cellar
• 醮to perform sacrifice
• 酵yeast; leaven; fermentation; Taiwan pr. xiào
• 滘place name in Guangdong
• 峤highest peak
• 挍compare; criticize

Where 叫 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Family and People (HSK 1), HSK 1 Characters · Set 13 (HSK 1), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 1 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read jiào correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.