教

• Pinyin: jiāo
• Hanzi breakdown: 教 = 孝 (filial piety, phonetic) + 攵 (action radical) — to guide through teaching

Meaning

To teach; to instruct. The act of passing knowledge or skills to someone.

Pronounced jiāo when meaning 'to teach' (e.g. 教我中文). Also pronounced jiào in compounds like 教室 (classroom) and 教育 (education), but at HSK 1 level the primary usage is the verb 'to teach' (jiāo). Common pattern: 教 + person + subject.

Examples

1. 谁教你中文？ Who teaches you Chinese?
2. 老师教我们写字。 The teacher teaches us to write characters.
3. 你能教我做饭吗？ Can you teach me to cook?

Usage Guide

Context: education, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请你教我。(Please teach me.)
• 她教英语。(She teaches English.)

Don't Say

• 他教了我一个知识。(Unnatural — 知识 is not countable this way; say 他教了我很多东西)

Origin & History

The traditional form 教 shows 孝 (filial piety, phonetic) on the left and 攵 (to tap, action radical) on the right — to guide someone through instruction.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal