To instruct a child by example, guidance, or discipline.
To teach, educate, instruct; to tell or cause someone to do something; also a doctrine or religion. An elder (耂) guiding a child (子) with a hand holding a stick (攵).
教
Common Usage & Traps
- 教书 — to teach (as a teacher)
- 教课 — to teach a class
- 教中文 — to teach Chinese
- 教师 — teacher
- 教室 — classroom
- 教育 — education
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教一个学生教学生In Chinese, '教' already implies teaching someone; adding '一个' is redundant and unnatural.
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教给他英语教他英语'教' takes a direct object without '给'; '教给他' is not standard for teaching a subject.
When should I pronounce 教 as jiāo and when as jiào?
Use jiāo when it means 'to teach' as a verb, and jiào when it means 'teaching' as a noun or in compounds like 教师, 教室, 教育.
The character 教 has two pronunciations. The verb 'to teach' is jiāo, as in 教书 (jiāoshū) or 教中文 (jiāo Zhōngwén). The noun 'teaching' or related terms use jiào, as in 教师 (jiàoshī), 教室 (jiàoshì), and 教育 (jiàoyù). Remember: action = jiāo, thing/concept = jiào.
| Dimension | jiāo | jiào |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | to teach (verb) | teaching (noun), education |
| Examples | 教书, 教课, 教中文 | 教师, 教室, 教育 |
| Usage | Focus on the act | Focus on the role or field |
How do I distinguish 教 from similar-looking characters like 数 and 放?
教 has 孝 on the left and 攵 on the right; 数 has 娄 and 攵; 放 has 方 and 攵. Focus on the left component.
教, 数, and 放 all share the right component 攵 (hand holding a stick), but their left parts differ: 教 has 孝 (filial piety), 数 has 娄 (often meaning 'to gather'), and 放 has 方 (square/direction). Recognizing the left component helps distinguish them.
| Character | Left Component | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 教 | 孝 (filial piety) | teach |
| 数 | 娄 (gather) | count, number |
| 放 | 方 (square) | release, put |
Appears in Stories 1 story
Meet Gao Youpeng, a friendly Beijing coworker who welcomes the narrator with local dishes and a simple language-exchange plan. This warm HSK 2 story is perfect for first readings about work and friendship.
- Scene 1
他说周六可以 教 我做几个北京菜。
- Scene 2
我 教 他英文，他 教 我中文，每天学几个词，很快，我们的英语和汉语都能好很多。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
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