教 (jiào) is a Chinese character meaning “teaching”. It is written from 孝 (filial piety; respect for parents) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side, and takes 11 strokes. It has a second reading, jiāo, which turns up in 教书 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “teaching”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
孝 + 攵
Left–right structure
- 孝 filial piety; respect for parents · xiào meaning
- 攵 a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something · pū meaning
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（孝7画 + 攵4画 = 11画）；构形见《说文解字》「教：上所施，下所效也。从攴从孝」
Memory aid
On the left, 孝 — respect for one’s elders; on the right, 攵 — a hand holding a stick. Picture a strict old teacher, pointer in hand, passing that respect on: that is teaching.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 教室jiào shìclassroom教 = jiào
- 宗教zōng jiàoreligion教 = jiào
- 教授jiào shòuprofessor; to teach (at university level)教 = jiào
- 佛教fó jiàoBuddhism教 = jiào
- 教训jiào xùna lesson learned; to reprimand教 = jiào
- 教唆jiào suōto instigate; to abet教 = jiào
- 教诲jiào huìteaching; instruction; to teach and admonish教 = jiào
Go deeper
All readings
teaching; religion
teaching; instruction; education; religion; to cause, to make (someone do something)
教导、教育；宗教。也表示使、让。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 教室jiào shìclassroom教 = jiào
- 宗教zōng jiàoreligion教 = jiào
- 教授jiào shòuprofessor; to teach (at university level)教 = jiào
- 佛教fó jiàoBuddhism教 = jiào
- 教训jiào xùna lesson learned; to reprimand教 = jiào
- 教唆jiào suōto instigate; to abet教 = jiào
- 教诲jiào huìteaching; instruction; to teach and admonish教 = jiào
to teach
to teach; to instruct (someone in a skill or subject)
把知识或技能传给别人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 教书jiāo shūto teach (as a job); to be a teacher教 = jiāo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 教 mean?
教 (jiào) means teaching; instruction; education; religion; to cause, to make (someone do something).
How do you pronounce 教?
Its main reading is jiào. It also has a second reading, jiāo, which only shows up in certain words such as 教书 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 教 sometimes pronounced jiāo?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 教书 it is read jiāo.
What parts is 教 made of?
孝 (filial piety; respect for parents) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（孝7画 + 攵4画 = 11画）；构形见《说文解字》「教：上所施，下所效也。从攴从孝」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 教 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 教?
攵. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 教?
Common ones are 教室, 宗教, 教授. The reading of 教 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.