The character 召 — “summon”: how to write it and what it means

召
zhào

summon, convene

5 strokes · HSK 5

The Chinese character 召 is read zhào and means “summon, convene”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 召

召 has 5 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 召, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 召 is made of

Below, 口 “mouth”: calling out with your voice. On top, 刀 dāo hints at the reading. It sits on the right in 招.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 召

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 召?

召 has 5 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 召 mean?

召 means “summon, convene”. It appears in 召开 (“convene”), 号召 (“call on”).

How do you pronounce 召?

召 is read zhào. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 召 have?

5 strokes.

← 访 visit嘉 fine →

More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 召 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

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