叫作
jiào zuò · HSK 2
to be called
📣 叫 (to call/shout) + 作 (to do/make) = 'called as' / 'named'
叫 carries the shouting/calling sense; 作 here means 'to act as' or 'serve as'. Together 叫作 means 'to be called' or 'goes by the name of', a near-synonym of 叫做.
叫 — mouth 口 + 丩 (phonetic)
叫 is a phono-semantic compound. The 口 (mouth) radical gives the meaning, since the word involves vocal action like shouting or calling. The right side 丩 supplies the sound, originally depicting twisted cords and used here purely as a phonetic marker.
作 — person radical 亻 + 乍
作 combines the person radical 亻 with 乍, which originally depicted a sudden action or making something. The character means 'to do, make, or create,' with 亻 indicating human activity and 乍 supplying the sound. Over time it broadened to cover works, deeds, and acting as something.