Mandarin TempleMandarin Temple Beta Come for Knowledge. Stay for Wisdom.
Start your Chinese Learning JourneyStart Now
嚼 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
嚼jiáoto chewHSK 7, v, 20 strokes, radical 口, rank #4826, Hard
嚼jiáoto prattle, to be glibHSK 7, v, 20 strokes, radical 口, rank #4826, Hard
嚼jiáoalso pr. [jué]HSK 7, v, 20 strokes, radical 口, rank #4826, Hard
嚼jiáoalso pr. [jue2]HSK 7, unknown, 20 strokes, radical 口, rank #4826, Hard
嚼juéto chewHSK 7, v, 20 strokes, radical 口, rank #4826, Hard
嚼juéto prattle, to be glibHSK 7, v, 20 strokes, radical 口, rank #4826, Hard
嚼juéalso pr. [jué]HSK 7, v, 20 strokes, radical 口, rank #4826, Hard
嚼juéalso pr. [jue2]HSK 7, unknown, 20 strokes, radical 口, rank #4826, Hard
jiáo(jiao2)
primary
 T2
  1. 1to chew
  2. 2to prattle, to be glib
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026
嚼jiáo(jiao2)

The character 嚼 (jiáo) primarily means 'to chew' and can also refer to 'prattling' or 'being glib.' It conveys a sense of repetitive or laborious action, often related to chewing food. In informal contexts, it can imply talking excessively or without much substance.

Strokes20Radical口Frequency#4826DifficultyHard
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese culture, chewing food thoroughly is considered a sign of good manners, emphasizing the importance of savoring flavors rather than hastily consuming meals.

Memory Tip

Imagine a person chewing gum while talking non-stop, their mouth constantly moving as if they can't stop 'chewing' on their words. The character 嚼 has a mouth radical (口) which emphasizes the action of talking and chewing.

Meanings of 嚼

jiáo(jiao2)
primary
1to chew
2to prattle, to be glib
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 嚼

嚼Simplified
20Strokes
口Radical
动词dòngcíverb (v.)Part of Speech
#4826Frequency Rank
HSK 3.0L7AdvancedCEFRC2

Podcast: 嚼

JasonAmy

Podcast: 嚼

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 嚼

Quick Contrast

咀嚼 (zǔjué) vs 嚼 (jiáo): Use 咀嚼 for a more formal or technical context of chewing, while 嚼 is more casual and can imply excessive talking.

Memory Mnemonic

Imagine a person chewing gum while talking non-stop, their mouth constantly moving as if they can't stop 'chewing' on their words. The character 嚼 has a mouth radical (口) which emphasizes the action of talking and chewing.

Usage Notes

Learners often confuse 嚼 (jiáo) with other similar-sounding words. Be cautious with the tone; using the wrong tone can alter the meaning entirely. It's commonly used in casual conversations, and a common collocation is 嚼口香糖 (jiáo kǒuxiāngtáng) meaning 'to chew gum.'

HSK Study Tips

Although 嚼 is not in the HSK vocabulary lists, it connects with other food-related vocabulary that might be covered at higher levels. Focus on understanding its dual meanings and practice using it in both contexts: chewing food and talking.

Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese culture, chewing food thoroughly is considered a sign of good manners, emphasizing the importance of savoring flavors rather than hastily consuming meals.

Common Mistakes

Learners sometimes confuse 嚼 (jiáo) with 聊 (liáo), which means 'to chat.' A common mistake is saying '我嚼天' (wǒ jiáo tiān, 'I chew the sky') instead of '我聊天' (wǒ liáo tiān, 'I chat').

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 嚼

Premium — Locked

AI tone practice

Pro

Drill the tone of 嚼 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.

Tone drillsInstant feedback+5 XP
See plans to unlock

Etymology of 嚼

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

mouth

Semantic (meaning)口
+
Phonetic (sound)爵
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 嚼?

Decomposition of 嚼

IDS Structure⿰口爵
嚼Full Character
=
口kou3
left
爵jue2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 嚼?

Write 嚼

嚼

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

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Grammar Patterns of 嚼

嚼 functions as a verb — the action or state of the sentence. The Chinese order is Subject + Verb + Object (我吃饭). Negate it with 不 (habitual / future) or 没(有) (completed action). Add aspect markers like 了, 过, 着 directly after the verb. It carries 4 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 4

Complete the Sentence

丹尼尔倚在沙发上，嘴里还在____着苹果。

Daniel leaned back on the sofa, still chewing on his apple.

Example Sentences for 嚼 (10)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
丹尼尔倚在沙发上，嘴里还在嚼着苹果。

dān ní ěr yǐ zài shā fā shàng， ， zuǐ lǐ huán zài jiáo zháo píng。

Daniel leaned back on the sofa, still chewing on his apple.
2
格蕾琴费劲地嚼着那块带软骨的牛排。

gé lěi qín fèi jìn dì jiáo zháo nà kuài dài ruǎn gǔ de niú pái。

Gretchen chewed energetically on the gristled steak.
3
有时他会倒嚼我们喂给他吃的食物，因为他无法吞咽。

yǒu shí tā huì dǎo jiáo wǒ mén wèi gěi tā chī de shí wù， ， yīn wéi tā wú fǎ tūn。

Sometimes he regurgitates the food we give him because he cannot swallow.
4
你要是非常想吃巧克力，那就嚼根角豆条解馋吧。

nǐ yào shì fēi cháng xiǎng chī qiǎo kè lì， ， nà jiù jiáo gēn jiǎo dòu tiáo jiě chán。

If you do yearn for chocolate, try a carob bar instead.
5
她自己嚼咽食物的声音非常大。

tā zì jǐ jiáo yān shí wù de shēng yīn fēi cháng dà。

The sound of her own chewing and swallowing were explosively loud.
6
充分咀嚼食物，吃饭不要太快。

chōng fēn jǔ jiáo shí wù， ， chī fàn bù yào tài。

Chew your food well and do not rush meals.
7
什么食物都要先嚼碎再吞咽。

shí mó shí wù dū yào xiān jiáo suì zài tūn yān。

Always chew food well before swallowing it.
8
电话所的女电话员们个个尖嘴嚼舌,老和他人开玩笑.

diàn huà suǒ de nǚ diàn huà yuán mén gè gè jiān zuǐ jiáo shé, , lǎo hé tā rén kāi wán.

Those girls at the telephone office have very sharp tongues and they like to make fun of others.
9
那个大嘴巴总是东家长,西家短,嚼舌嚼个不停.

nà gè dà zuǐ bā zǒng shì dōng jiā cháng, , xī jiā, duǎn , jiáo shé jiáo gè.

That blabbermouth always gossips about other people's affairs.
10
母亲一般要把食物嚼碎再喂给婴儿.

mǔ qīn yī bān yào bǎ shí wù jiáo suì zài wèi gěi yīng ér.

Mother usually grinds down the food for the baby.

Cultural Notes for 嚼

🏮Cultural insight

In traditional Chinese culture, chewing food thoroughly is considered a sign of good manners, emphasizing the importance of savoring flavors rather than hastily consuming meals.

Word Family of 嚼

Words Containing This Character11
嚼jiáoto chew
咀嚼jǔjuéto chew
细嚼慢咽to eat slowly (idiom)細嚼慢嚥
嚼舌to gossip
咬文嚼字to bite words and chew characters (idiom); punctilious about minutiae of wording
味同嚼蜡tasteless味同嚼蠟
嚼舌根to gossip
咬嚼to chew
嚼蜡insipid嚼蠟
贪多嚼不烂to bite off more than one can chew (idiom)貪多嚼不爛
倒嚼to ruminate (of cows)
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 嚼 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 嚼

While 嚼 (jiáo) generally means 'to chew,' 咀嚼 (jǔjué) emphasizes the act of chewing food thoroughly and can imply a more careful consideration.