Meaning of 教
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to teach; to instruct
- (bound form) to teach; to instruct
- a religion
- to cause (sb to do sth); to tell (sb to do sth)
- surname Jiao
How to use 教
As a standalone verb, 教 is read jiāo and often takes two objects: who you teach and what you teach. In compound words like 教室 (jiàoshì) and 教育 (jiàoyù) it is read jiào. Example: 她教我中文。(Tā jiāo wǒ Zhōngwén.) She teaches me Chinese.
教 has 孝 (xiào, respect for elders) on the left and 攵, a hand holding a stick, on the right. Picture an elder guiding a child with a pointer to remember "to teach."
Common mistake: Learners often say jiāo in compounds like 教师 and 教室, but these use the fourth tone jiào. Also do not confuse the left side with 考 (kǎo, test). 教 uses 孝, which has 子 at the bottom.
教 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.
教 jiāo · to teach · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 教.
| 教学楼 | jiàoxuélóu | school building; academic building |
| 教育 | jiàoyù | to educate; to teach |
| 教师 | jiàoshī | teacher |
| 教室 | jiàoshì | classroom |
| 教学 | jiàoxué | to teach |
| 教练 | jiàoliàn | to coach; to train; instructor; sports coach; trainer (CL:位[wei4],名[ming2]) |
| 请教 | qǐngjiào | to ask for guidance; to consult |
| 教材 | jiàocái | teaching material |
| 教授 | jiàoshòu | to teach (a subject) |
| 教训 | jiàoxùn | to provide guidance; to lecture sb; to upbraid; a talking-to; a bitter lesson |
| 教堂 | jiàotáng | church; chapel |
| 宗教 | zōngjiào | religion |
Questions about 教
What does 教 mean?
教 (jiāo) means "to teach; to instruct" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 教?
教 is made of 1 character: 教 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 教 an HSK word?
Yes. 教 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 教 (jiāo) and 教 (jiào)?
Jiāo is the everyday verb "to teach," used on its own, as in 教书 (jiāoshū, to teach for a living). Jiào appears in compound words and in the meanings "religion" or "to cause someone to do something," as in 宗教 (zōngjiào, religion).
How do I say "teach someone to do something" with 教?
Put the person right after 教, then the action: 教 + person + verb. For example, 他教我游泳。(Tā jiāo wǒ yóuyǒng.) He teaches me to swim.