称呼
chēnghū · HSK 7
address
🗣️ chēng-hū sounds like calling out a name across the room
称 means to call or name, 呼 means to shout or breathe out. Together they form the word for how you address someone — their title or the name you use when speaking to them.
称 — grain 禾 + 尔 (phonetic)
称 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the grain radical 禾 on the left points to weighing grain on a balance, while 尔 hints at the sound. It originally meant 'to weigh' on a steelyard, then extended to 'to state the weight of,' and finally to general senses like 'to call,' 'to name,' or 'title.'