About
The character "叫" combines the mouth radical (口) with the component "丩", a form historically associated with entanglement or twisting, suggesting the contorted effort of a vocal cry. Its original sense was narrowly focused on audible outbursts like shouting or weeping, but over time its application widened to include calling someone by name, issuing summons, and expressing commands. The right-hand element, once phonetic, has drifted from modern pronunciation, yet the character's structure has remained consistent, with the mouth component continually signaling its connection to speech or sound. This semantic shift from concrete vocalization to broader functions of naming and directing illustrates the adaptive nature of written Chinese.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我的名字叫小明。
请叫我老师。
你叫什么名字？
不要大声叫我。
他叫我帮忙买东西。
妈妈叫弟弟早点睡觉。
老板叫我们完成报告。
这件事叫我想起了过去。