Meanings of 教
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About 教
Podcast: 教
Podcast: 教
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AI Study Notes for 教
教 (jiāo) vs 训 (xùn) — use 教 when referring to teaching in an educational context, while 训 is more about training or instructing, often in a disciplinary sense.
In informal contexts, 教 can imply a more casual teaching or telling, while in formal contexts, it may convey a structured educational role. Common collocations include 教书 (to teach books) and 教学 (teaching and learning). Be cautious with tones; the correct pronunciation is 'jiāo' with the first tone.
As part of HSK Level 3, 教 connects with other education-related vocabulary like 学 (xué, to learn) and 师 (shī, teacher). Focus on using it in sentences about education and teaching scenarios to build contextual understanding.
Learners often confuse 教 (to teach) with 学 (to learn). For example, saying '我教英语' (I learn English) instead of '我教英语' (I teach English) demonstrates this mistake.
Pronunciation of 教
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Etymology of 教
Phonosemantic compound. 攵 represents the meaning and 孝 represents the sound.
script
Jason Etymology Detective
Case file: 教
Phonosemantic compound. 攵 represents the meaning and 孝 represents the sound.
- 1The meaning half攵 carries the sense.
- 2The sound half孝 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
- 3The giveawayscript
- 4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 教? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.Character Formation Type
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Decomposition of 教
Identify the Components
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How to say to teach in Chinese
“to teach” in Chinese is教
The character 教 (jiāo) primarily means 'to teach.' It is commonly used in educational contexts, referring to the act of imparting knowledge or skills. Additionally, it can denote religious teachings or the act of causing something to happen.
When to use 教
In informal contexts, 教 can imply a more casual teaching or telling, while in formal contexts, it may convey a structured educational role. Common collocations include 教书 (to teach books) and 教学 (teaching and learning). Be cautious with tones; the correct pronunciation is 'jiāo' with the first tone.
教 or something close to it
教 (jiāo) vs 训 (xùn) — use 教 when referring to teaching in an educational context, while 训 is more about training or instructing, often in a disciplinary sense.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 教 (to teach) with 学 (to learn). For example, saying '我教英语' (I learn English) instead of '我教英语' (I teach English) demonstrates this mistake.
Write 教
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Practice writing 教 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Grammar Patterns of 教
教 functions as a verb — the action or state of the sentence. The Chinese order is Subject + Verb + Object (我吃饭). Negate it with 不 (habitual / future) or 没(有) (completed action). Add aspect markers like 了, 过, 着 directly after the verb. It carries 8 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
Complete the Sentence
老师____我们汉语。
The teacher teaches us Chinese.
Example Sentences for 教 (28)
Reorder the Sentence
The teacher teaches us Chinese every day.
Word Family of 教
Compound Meaning
What does 教育 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 教
Some common phrases include 教师 (jiàoshī, teacher) and 教室 (jiàoshì, classroom).
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