The kanji 呼 (ko) primarily means "to call," "to summon," "to hail," or "to shout." It encompasses the act of using one's voice to attract attention, give a command, or address someone. It implies a direct action of vocalization.

・On-yomi (音読み): コ (ko) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): 呼（よ）ぶ (yobu) - to call; to summon

⚫︎ 名前を呼ぶ Translation: To call someone's name. ⚫︎ 助けを呼ぶ Translation: To call for help. ⚫︎ 呼び出す Translation: To summon; to call out.

The kanji 呼 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいもじ). The phonetic component is 乎 (ko), which indicates the sound. The semantic component is 口 (kuchi), meaning "mouth." Combining these, the character represents the action of using the mouth to call or shout. The historical development shows a clear link between the act of vocalizing and the creation of this character.