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齜 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
齜zīto bare one's teeth; crooked teethx, 21 strokes, radical 齒
zī(zi1) T1
  1. 1to bare one's teeth; crooked teeth
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March 24, 2026

齜zī(zi1)

The character 齜 (zī) primarily refers to the act of baring one's teeth, often used to describe animals or people showing aggression or a threatening stance. It can also denote crooked or misaligned teeth in a more anatomical context. This character is less commonly used in everyday conversation but can appear in more specialized discussions about dental health or animal behavior.

Strokes21Radical齒
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese medicine, the health of one's teeth is thought to reflect overall well-being, making discussions around dental issues culturally relevant. The character 齜 can be used in contexts where one's health or aggressive traits are being metaphorically discussed.

Memory Tip

Think of a fierce animal showing its teeth (齜) as a warning. The top of the character resembles a mouth opening wide to bare its teeth, while the bottom part can represent the jagged edges of crooked teeth. Visualize a snarling dog to remember 'zī' as it reveals its sharp, crooked fangs.

Meanings of 齜

zī(zi1)
1to bare one's teeth; crooked teeth
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 齜

齜Simplified
21Strokes
齒Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 齜

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Podcast: 齜

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AI Study Notes for 齜

Usage Notes

This character is not commonly used in everyday language, so be careful to use it in appropriate contexts, such as discussing animal behavior or dental issues. A common mistake is to confuse it with similar characters like 齐 (qí), which means 'even' or 'neat.' Always check the context to ensure proper usage.

HSK Study Tips

Although 齜 is not included in the HSK vocabulary lists, understanding it can help learners with related words concerning teeth and animals. It may be useful to study alongside characters like 齐 (qí) and 齿 (chǐ) to build a more comprehensive vocabulary around dental terms and animal descriptions.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 齜 with 齿 (chǐ), which means 'tooth.' For example, saying '我有很多齜' (wǒ yǒu hěn duō zī) is incorrect; the correct expression would be '我有很多齿' (wǒ yǒu hěn duō chǐ) to mean 'I have many teeth.'

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 齜

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Etymology of 齜

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

teeth

Semantic (meaning)齒
+
Phonetic (sound)此
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 齜

  1. 1The meaning half齒 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half此 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayteeth
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 齜? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 齜?

Decomposition of 齜

IDS Structure⿰齒此
齜Full Character
=
齒chi3
left
此ci3
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 齜?

How to say to bare one's teeth; crooked teeth in Chinese

“to bare one's teeth; crooked teeth” in Chinese is齜zī

The character 齜 (zī) primarily refers to the act of baring one's teeth, often used to describe animals or people showing aggression or a threatening stance. It can also denote crooked or misaligned teeth in a more anatomical context. This character is less commonly used in everyday conversation but can appear in more specialized discussions about dental health or animal behavior.

When to use 齜

This character is not commonly used in everyday language, so be careful to use it in appropriate contexts, such as discussing animal behavior or dental issues. A common mistake is to confuse it with similar characters like 齐 (qí), which means 'even' or 'neat.' Always check the context to ensure proper usage.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 齜 with 齿 (chǐ), which means 'tooth.' For example, saying '我有很多齜' (wǒ yǒu hěn duō zī) is incorrect; the correct expression would be '我有很多齿' (wǒ yǒu hěn duō chǐ) to mean 'I have many teeth.'

Write 齜

齜

Practice writing 齜 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 齜

Words Containing This Character2
龇zīprojecting teeth齜
龇牙咧嘴to grimace (in pain)齜牙咧嘴
Exercise 1 of 2

Compound Meaning

What does 龇 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 齜

It is pronounced as 'zī'.

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