牙 yá — tooth; ivory
每天早晚都要刷牙。Měi tiān zǎo wǎn dōu yào shuā yá.Brush your teeth every morning and evening.
Common words: 牙刷 (yá shuā)、牙膏 (yá gāo)、刷牙 (shuā yá)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "tooth"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "tooth", including 牙 (yá), 齿 (chǐ). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "tooth" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 牙 (yá), 齿 (chǐ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yá, chǐ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 牙 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 牙 yátooth; ivoryUseful words: 牙刷, 牙膏
- 齿 chǐtoothUseful words: 牙齿, 咬牙切齿
Common words for these 2 "tooth" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 牙 (yá) — so "tooth" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "tooth".
齿 chǐ — tooth
这把梳子的齿很密。Zhè bǎ shū zi de chǐ hěn mì.The teeth of this comb are very close together.
Common words: 牙齿 (yá chǐ)、咬牙切齿 (yǎo yá qiè chǐ)、不齿 (bù chǐ)
All 2 characters
Open 牙、齿 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.