呼 means “call, breathe out”

よぶ · yobu

Also: call out to, invite

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

よぶ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

コ

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 6 · 8 strokes

The story

A mouth (口) and an exclamation (乎): calling out across the room. 呼ぶ is to call someone or invite them over, and 呼 is the outward breath too: 呼吸, breathing, is out (呼) and in (吸).

Used in 呼ぶ (yobu, to call), 呼吸 (kokyuu, breathing), and 呼び出し (yobidashi, paging/summons)

More from Ask & Tell

• 辞 word
• 探 search
• 誤 mistake
• 鳴 cry (animal)
• 表 surface
• 調 investigate
• 報 report
• 告 tell
• 求 seek
• 示 show
• 伝 convey
• 観 view

Learn 呼 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.