Meaning of 叫作
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to call
- to be called
How to use 叫作
叫作 is used to give the name or term for something, often in explanations or slightly formal speech. The pattern is A 叫作 B, meaning A is called B. Example: 这种花叫作玫瑰。(Zhè zhǒng huā jiàozuò méiguī.) This kind of flower is called a rose.
叫 (jiào) means to call out, and 作 (zuò) means to act as or serve as. Put them together and something is called out as, or serves as, a certain name: 叫作 means to be called.
Common mistake: Learners often use 叫作 to introduce their own name. For everyday self-introductions, say 我叫小明 (wǒ jiào Xiǎo Míng), not 我叫作小明, which sounds stiff. Also, 作 is fourth tone (zuò), so do not read it as zuǒ or zuó.
叫作 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
叫 jiào · to shout · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
作 zuò · to do · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 叫作.
| 工作 | gōngzuò | to work; (of a machine) to operate |
| 动作 | dòngzuò | movement; motion; action; to act; to move |
| 作用 | zuòyòng | to act on; to affect; action; function; activity |
| 作家 | zuòjiā | author |
| 作业 | zuòyè | school assignment; homework |
| 作文 | zuòwén | to write an essay; composition (student essay) |
| 合作 | hézuò | to cooperate; to collaborate; to work together |
| 作品 | zuòpǐn | work (of art); opus |
| 制作 | zhìzuò | to make; to manufacture |
| 作者 | zuòzhě | author; writer |
| 创作 | chuàngzuò | to create; to produce; to write; a creative work; a creation |
| 写作 | xiězuò | to write; to compose |
Questions about 叫作
What does 叫作 mean?
叫作 (jiàozuò) means "to call; to be called" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 叫作?
叫作 is made of 2 characters: 叫 (5 strokes), 作 (7 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 叫作 an HSK word?
Yes. 叫作 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 叫作 and 叫做?
They mean the same thing and are pronounced the same, jiàozuò. Both spellings are common. 叫作 is the form listed here, and 叫做 appears often in everyday writing.
Can 叫作 be used in the negative or as a question?
Yes. To ask what something is called, say 这个叫作什么？(Zhège jiàozuò shénme?) What is this called? In the negative it is less common, but 不叫作 is possible when correcting a name.