The phrase "what is this called" is generally used to inquire about the name or identification of an object, concept, or symbol. It is a common question phrase used to ask for the specific term or label for something that one is unfamiliar with or curious about.
If the question refers to identifying a specific symbol or punctuation mark—often expressed as "what is this symbol called?"—it usually asks for the name of punctuation marks like a hyphen, dash, colon, semicolon, apostrophe, or ellipsis, which are fundamental symbols in English writing used to clarify meaning and structure in sentences.
If there is a particular object, symbol, or term the question is about, please specify it for a precise answer.