1To call out to someone, such as by saying their name to get their attention.
子供が遠くから母親を呼んだ。
The child called out to his mother from afar.
名前を呼ばれたら、手を挙げてください。
If your name is called, please raise your hand.
彼女は助けを求めて大声で呼んだ。
She called out loudly for help.
後ろから誰かが私の名前を呼んだ気がした。
I felt like someone called my name from behind.
2To summon someone or something (e.g. a doctor, an ambulance) when help is needed.
夜中に急に具合が悪くなって、救急車を呼んだ。
In the middle of the night I suddenly felt ill and called an ambulance.
火事が起きたので、消防を呼んだ。
A fire broke out, so we called the fire department.
具合が悪いので、母は近所の医者を呼んだ。
Because he felt unwell, his mother summoned the neighborhood doctor.
3To invite someone to an event or gathering; to ask someone to come.
週末に友達を家に呼んだ。
I invited friends to my house for the weekend.
結婚式に親戚を大勢呼んだ。
We invited a lot of relatives to the wedding.
誕生日会に同僚を呼ぶつもりだ。
I plan to invite my coworkers to the birthday party.
4To call something by a particular name; to designate, name, or label.
その鳥は地元で「幸せの鳥」と呼ばれている。
That bird is locally called 'the bird of happiness'.
彼女を『天才』と呼ぶ人が多い。
Many people call her a 'genius'.
この祭りは昔から『七年祭』と呼ばれている。
This festival has long been called the 'seven-year festival'.
5To elicit or attract attention, support, or a reaction, as in 話題を呼ぶ (to create a stir).
新しい政策は国民の支持を呼んだ。
The new policy drew public support.
その映画は大きな話題を呼んだ。
That movie created a big buzz.
彼の発言は思わぬ反発を呼んだ。
His remark provoked unexpected backlash.
6An archaic meaning: to take as one's wife; to marry.
古文では「呼ぶ」が「妻にする」という意味で使われることがある。
In classical texts, '呼ぶ' is sometimes used in the sense of 'to take as a wife'.