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咬 is also the simplified spelling of 齩.

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咬

Mandarin · pinyin yǎo

Meanings

  1. to bite
  2. to nip
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Characters in this entry

咬
yǎo · bite, gnaw
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Entries containing 咬 ↗Words written with 咬 ↗

Mandarin tones

3 · yao3

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Connected dictionary

1character link18same-tone records
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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

咬 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 16 senses · 3 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

aau1 · gaau1 · ngaau5

Cantonese word readings for 咬. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

  1. to bite; to snap at; to gnaw
  2. to grip; to bite
  3. to incriminate when accused or interrogated (especially someone innocent)
  4. to articulate; to pronounce
  5. to be nitpicking on words
  6. to close in on; to advance on; to press on towards
  7. (of dog) to bark
  8. (dialectal, including Hokkien) to irritate (the skin)
  9. (dialectal, including Hokkien) to corrode (metals, etc.)
  10. (dialectal Mandarin, Jin) itchy
  11. (Hokkien, of insects) to sting; to bite
  12. (Hokkien) to leave a sticky, gummy feeling after eating something astringent (in one's mouth)
  13. (Mainland China Hokkien) to retort with a countercharge; to make a false countercharge
  14. (neologism, slang, euphemistic) alternative form of 口交 (kǒujiāo, “oral sex; to perform oral sex on”)

character · Etymology 2

  1. only used in 咬咬

character · Etymology 3

  1. only used in 咬哇 and 哇咬

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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