牙
contributes the sense of teeth · Kangxi radical 92
contributes the sense of teeth, fangs and things that bite or interlock, though in most characters it just supplies the sound yá / yà
The old graph for 牙 was a zigzag of interlocking upper and lower back teeth, drawn as two rows of points meeting like a bite. In the modern shape you can still read the crossing strokes as the upper and lower jaws meshing, with the final hook as the tip of a fang. That biting, boring sense survives in 穿 "to pierce through, to wear," where 牙 sits under the hole of 穴. Elsewhere — 芽 bud, 蚜 aphid, 鸦 crow, 呀 ah, 雅 elegant, 邪 demonic — 牙 is there mainly for its pronunciation.
牙 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes the sense of teeth
- Strokes
- 4
- Characters
- 17
- Role
- Contributes sound
- Kangxi radical
- 92
Characters with 牙 (15 of 17)
HSK 2 · 1
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 牙 mean?
牙 means "contributes the sense of teeth". In the characters that contain it, it contributes sound.
How many Chinese characters contain 牙?
17 characters in this dictionary contain 牙, including ones at HSK 2, HSK 4, HSK 6.
Is 牙 a radical?
Yes — 牙 is Kangxi radical 92, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 牙 have?
牙 is written in 4 strokes.