How to use 叫
叫 + Name
For introductions, 叫 links a person directly with the name they use. The subject comes first and the name follows the verb. Although English may phrase this as “my name is,” the Chinese construction can use the person as its subject without separately mentioning a noun meaning name.
The same verb can identify what an object is called. To ask for the missing name, place the question word where that name would appear, rather than moving it to the start of the sentence. This lesson concerns the naming sense of 叫; context distinguishes it from other uses such as calling out or asking somebody to act.
Examples with pinyin and English
我叫 Tom。
My name is Tom.
他叫李小龙。
His name is Li Xiaolong.
我哥哥叫老马。
My brother is called Lao Ma.
那个叫什么？
What is that called?
What to remember
- Put the name directly after 叫.
- A first or full name may follow.
- Keep 什么 in the name's position.
Practise the pattern
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.