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March 24, 2026
咬yǎo(yao3)
The verb '咬' (yǎo) means 'to bite' or 'to nip.' It is commonly used in both literal contexts, such as biting food, and in figurative contexts, such as biting criticism. This character conveys a sense of action that involves taking a small piece from something, often with teeth.
Strokes9Radical口Frequency#1252DifficultyHard
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, the act of '咬' often appears in proverbs and idioms, such as '咬文嚼字' (yǎo wén jiáo zì), which refers to being overly pedantic or nitpicking words. This reflects the importance of language precision in Chinese communication.
Memory Tip
Imagine a dog with sharp teeth that loves to 'yǎo' (bite) its favorite toy. The character 咬 looks like a mouth (口) opening wide to take a big bite out of something, emphasizing the action of biting.
Meanings of 咬
yǎo(yao3)
1to bite
2to nip
Exercise 1 of 3
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About 咬
咬Simplified
9Strokes
口Radical
动词dòngcíverb (v.)Part of Speech
#1252Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L5HSK 3.0L5IntermediateHSKKL3CEFRB2
Podcast: 咬
Podcast: 咬
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AI Study Notes for 咬
Quick Contrast
咬 (yǎo, to bite) vs 嚼 (jiáo, to chew) — use 咬 when emphasizing the action of biting, while 嚼 focuses on the action of chewing after biting.
Memory Mnemonic
Imagine a dog with sharp teeth that loves to 'yǎo' (bite) its favorite toy. The character 咬 looks like a mouth (口) opening wide to take a big bite out of something, emphasizing the action of biting.
Usage Notes
Be careful not to confuse '咬' with '咬合' (yǎohé), which means 'to occlude' or 'to bite together.' This verb is generally informal, but you can use it in both casual and slightly formal contexts. Remember that the third tone (yǎo) can sometimes be mistakenly pronounced as the second tone (yáo).
HSK Study Tips
As an HSK Level 5 word, '咬' connects well with other action verbs like '吃' (to eat) and '喝' (to drink). Focus on using '咬' in sentences that involve food or interactions with animals to reinforce its meaning.
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, the act of '咬' often appears in proverbs and idioms, such as '咬文嚼字' (yǎo wén jiáo zì), which refers to being overly pedantic or nitpicking words. This reflects the importance of language precision in Chinese communication.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse '咬' with '咬合' (yǎohé) and mistakenly use them interchangeably. For example, saying '我咬合了这个苹果' instead of '我咬了这个苹果' (I bit this apple) is incorrect.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 咬
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Grammar Patterns of 咬
咬 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 3 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.
It shows a fox being disembowelled by a pack of hounds.
4
我把它打跑了，但小臂被咬了一口。
wǒ bǎ tā dǎ pǎo le， ， dàn xiǎo bì bèi yǎo le yī。
I struck it away and got a bite on my forearm.
5
还剩4圈的时候，他紧紧咬住领先者。
huán shèng4 4 quān de shí， hòu ， tā jǐn jǐn yǎo zhù lǐng。
With four laps to go, he kept pace with the leaders.
6
我知道有一些狗咬婴儿的事情。
wǒ zhī dào yǒu yī xiē gǒu yǎo yīng ér de shì qíng。
I have known cases where dogs have nipped babies.
7
半个小时以后，鱼儿不再咬钩了，我们只好换地方。
bàn gè xiǎo shí yǐ hòu， ， yú ér bù zài yǎo gōu， le ， wǒ mén zhī hǎo huàn。
After half an hour, the fish stopped biting and we moved on.
8
他们将那几个小伙子带了进来，然后放狗咬他们。
tā mén jiāng nà jī gè xiǎo huǒ zǐ dài le jìn lái， ， rán hòu fàng gǒu yǎo tā。
They brought the young men in and set the dogs on them.
9
然后那条狗袭击了她，把她咬成重伤。
rán hòu nà tiáo gǒu xí jī le tā， ， bǎ tā yǎo chéng zhòng。
The dog then attacked her, inflicting serious injuries.
10
只要是狗就可能会咬人。
zhī yào shì gǒu jiù kě néng huì yǎo rén。
All dogs are capable of doing harm to human beings.
Cultural Notes for 咬
🏮Cultural insight
In Chinese culture, the act of '咬' often appears in proverbs and idioms, such as '咬文嚼字' (yǎo wén jiáo zì), which refers to being overly pedantic or nitpicking words. This reflects the importance of language precision in Chinese communication.
Word Family of 咬
Words Containing This Character18
咬yǎoto bite
咬牙gnaw
咬牙切齿fuming with rage between gritted teeth咬牙切齒
咬紧牙关to bite the bullet咬緊牙關
叮咬sting
一口咬定to allege
咬合bite
咬定to assert
咬文嚼字to bite words and chew characters (idiom); punctilious about minutiae of wording
狗咬狗dog-eat-dog
咬字to enunciate
反咬一口to make a false countercharge
咬耳朵(coll.) to whisper in sb's ear
咬嚼to chew
咬紧牙根to bite the bullet咬緊牙根
咬啮to gnaw咬齧
咬定牙关to bite the bullet咬定牙關
咬定牙根to bite the bullet
Exercise 1 of 4
Compound Meaning
What does 咬 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 咬
You can say '狗咬了我的鞋' (The dog bit my shoe) or '小孩咬了苹果' (The child bit the apple).
While '咬' is predominantly informal, it can appear in narratives or descriptive texts, especially when depicting actions.
Yes, synonyms include '啃' (kěn), which means 'to gnaw,' but '咬' is more commonly used for direct biting.
