jiào

Using the verb "jiao"

叫 means "to be called" — it's a verb, so 是 has no place here.

Subj. + 叫 + Name

How it works

你叫什么名字? is the standard way to ask someone's name, and 我叫王明 the answer. 我是叫王明 is wrong.

叫 is used with a full name or a given name. For surnames specifically there's 姓: 我姓王, 叫王明.

Examples

  • nǐ jiào shén me míng zì?

    你叫什么名字?

    What's your name?

  • wǒ jiào wáng míng

    我叫王明。

    My name is Wang Ming.

  • tā de gǒu jiào xiǎo bái

    他的狗叫小白。

    His dog is called Xiaobai.