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叫jiàoto be called; to have the name

HSK 1word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

叫 (jiào) means "to shout," "to call," or "to order," and also "to be called" when giving a name. As a preposition it can mark the agent in a passive sentence, similar to 被, but the doer after 叫 usually must appear. This entry covers naming, calling/ordering, and that passive use.

What does 叫 mean?

  1. 1.

    to be called; to have the nameverb

  2. 2.

    to shout; to call; to orderverb

  3. 3.

    by (marks the agent in a passive)preposition

What does the character 叫 mean?

  • 叫to be called; to have the name

How do you use 叫?

Grammar patterns

  1. 1

    Subj. + 叫 + Name

    Use 叫 to say what someone or something is called, or to give a name.

  2. 2

    Receiver + 叫 + Doer + Verb Phrase + 了

    叫 can mark a passive: the affected thing is the subject, and the doer after 叫 must appear.

For names, 叫 sits between the person and the name; for the passive, keep a doer after 叫, unlike 被 which can omit the doer.

Patterns

  • Subj. + 叫 + Name

    我叫小明。

    Wǒ jiào Xiǎomíng.

    My name is Xiaoming.

  • 叫 + Person + Verb

    妈妈叫我来。

    Māma jiào wǒ lái.

    Mom told me to come.

What are some examples of 叫 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 1

    我叫小明。

    Wǒ jiào Xiǎomíng.

    My name is Xiaoming. / I'm called Xiaoming.

  2. HSK 1

    你叫什么名字？

    Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

    What's your name?

  3. HSK 1

    妈妈叫我来。

    Māma jiào wǒ lái.

    Mom told / called me to come.

  4. HSK 2

    书叫他拿走了。

    Shū jiào tā ná zǒu le.

    The book was taken away by him.

How is 叫 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你叫什么名字？

    Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

    What's your name?

  2. Speaker B:

    我叫小明。

    Wǒ jiào Xiǎomíng.

    My name is Xiaoming.

  3. Speaker A:

    谁叫你来的？

    Shéi jiào nǐ lái de?

    Who told you to come?

  4. Speaker B:

    妈妈叫我来。

    Māma jiào wǒ lái.

    Mom told me to come.

  5. Speaker A:

    书呢？

    Shū ne?

    Where's the book?

  6. Speaker B:

    书叫他拿走了。

    Shū jiào tā ná zǒu le.

    The book was taken away by him.

Can you use 叫 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: 我___小明。
  2. 2.Which asks "What's your name"?
  3. 3.In 书叫他拿走了, 叫 marks:

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.