(yǎo) - to bite, to nip, to gnaw in Mandarin
yǎoTraditional: 咬
Translation
to bite, to nip, to gnaw
Word origin
A phono-semantic compound combining 口 (kǒu, mouth) as the meaning element with 交 (jiāo) as the phonetic, showing an action done with the mouth.
- Origin
- phono-semantic
- Root
- 口 (kǒu, mouth) + 交 (jiāo, phonetic)
Stroke order
咬
Examples
口。
That dog gave him a bite.
唇。
She bit her lip nervously.
蚊。
Be careful not to get bitten by mosquitoes.
口苹。
The child took a big bite out of the apple.
牙。
He gritted his teeth and held on.
咬 (yǎo) means to bite, nip, or gnaw, the action of gripping or cutting with the teeth. It appears literally and in set phrases such as 咬牙 (to grit one's teeth).
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueMandarin · Free printables
咬: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "咬" (to bite, to nip, to gnaw): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 31.