教
to teach
jiāo
What does 教 mean?
教 (jiāo) is the everyday verb for 'to teach.' It takes a flexible 'teach + person + subject' structure — 教我中文 ('teach me Chinese'), 教学生数学 ('teach students math') — that often packs both the learner and the topic into one tight sentence.
Three things help learners: first, the character has two readings — jiāo as the verb 'teach,' and jiào in noun compounds about education (教育 education, 教室 classroom, 教师 teacher); second, 教 covers both formal instruction and informal showing-how (他教我做饭, 'he taught me how to cook'); third, the related verb 学 (xué, 'to learn') is its mirror image — pair them in 教学 ('teaching and learning,' or 'instruction'). When the focus is the teacher's profession rather than the act of teaching, Chinese uses the noun 老师 (lǎoshī) or 教师 (jiàoshī).
Note: Used in speech and writing. The character is also read jiào in compounds (教育 jiàoyù 'education,' 教师 jiàoshī 'teacher'), but the standalone verb 'to teach' is jiāo.
Character breakdown
to teach; to instruct
Memory hook: 教 contains 子 (child) on the left — to 教 is to guide a child, the original image of teaching.
Example sentences
我妈妈教我做饭。
Wǒ māma jiāo wǒ zuòfàn.
My mom is teaching me how to cook.
spoken
李老师教我们中文。
Lǐ lǎoshī jiāo wǒmen zhōngwén.
Teacher Li teaches us Chinese.
neutral
你能教我吗？
Nǐ néng jiāo wǒ ma?
Can you teach me?
spoken
他在大学教书。
Tā zài dàxué jiāoshū.
He teaches at a university.
neutral
Common phrases with 教
Synonyms
教育 (jiàoyù) is the noun/verb 'education, to educate' — broader and more formal. 教 (jiāo) is the concrete act of teaching a skill or subject. A school provides 教育; a teacher 教 a class.
Don't confuse 教 with
叫 (jiào) means 'to call, to be named' — 我叫小明 ('my name is Xiao Ming'). 教 has the 子 (child) and 攵 (action) parts and means 'to teach.' Beginners mix them often.
学 (xué) is 'to learn' — the receiving side. 教 is 'to teach' — the giving side. Teachers 教, students 学. Same activity, opposite roles.
FAQ
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