齿 (chǐ): tooth, CL:顆|颗
齿 (chǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “tooth.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 止 (structural). It ranks #1756 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 齿 teeth 人凵; 止 provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 齿 (tooth) appears in many related characters such as 龄 (líng, age).
Definitions
- tooth
- CL:顆|颗
Etymology & Origin
pictographicTeeth 人凵; 止 provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿱止⿶凵人 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 齿 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 齿
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 齿轮 | chǐ lún | (machine) gear |
| 难以启齿 | nán yǐ qǐ chǐ | to be too embarrassed to mention sth (idiom) |
| 锯齿 | jù chǐ | sawtooth |
| 口齿 | kǒu chǐ | mouth and teeth |
| 臼齿 | jiù chǐ | molar tooth |
| 不齿 | bù chǐ | to despise |
| 启齿 | qǐ chǐ | to open one's mouth |
| 犬齿 | quǎn chǐ | canine tooth |
| 智齿 | zhì chǐ | wisdom tooth |
| 咬牙切齿 | yǎo yá qiè chǐ | (idiom) to gnash one's teeth |
| 剑齿虎 | jiàn chǐ hǔ | saber-toothed tiger |
| 伶牙俐齿 | líng yá lì chǐ | clever and eloquent (idiom) |
| 羞于启齿 | xiū yú qǐ chǐ | to be too shy to speak one's mind (idiom) |
| 龋齿 | qǔ chǐ | tooth decay |
| 乳齿 | rǔ chǐ | deciduous tooth |
齿 appears in 100 compound words: 24 as the first character, 44 as the last, and 32 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 齿 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (21)
lit. to feel the taste in one's mouth (idiom); fig. to water at the mouth; to drool in anticipation
to be closely related and mutually dependent (like the lips and teeth)
(self-deprecating) to have grown old without accomplishing anything (idiom)
lit. will not be forgotten even after one's teeth fall out; to remember as long as one lives; unforgettable (idiom)
memorable for the rest of one's life (usually for describing someone else's mercy or kind deed)
lit. will not be forgotten even after one's teeth fall out; to remember as long as one lives; unforgettable (idiom)
lit. to feel the taste in one's mouth (idiom); fig. to water at the mouth; to drool in anticipation
to be closely related and mutually dependent (like the lips and teeth)
Showing 12 of 21 idioms containing 齿.
Example Sentences
齿字由8笔画组成，结构很巧妙。
chǐ zì yóu bǐ huà zǔ chéng , jié gòu hěn qiǎo miào .
The character "齿" consists of eight strokes and has a very ingenious structure.
守住牙齿的根基 医师提醒:留意牙周病三警讯
shǒu zhù yá chǐ de gēn jī yī shī tí xǐng : liú yì yá zhōu bìng sān jǐng xùn
...元咖啡不是低价陷阱,而是效率机器上的精准齿轮
. . . yuán kā fēi bù shì dī jià xiàn jǐng , ér shì xiào lǜ jī qì shàng de jīng zhǔn chǐ lún
...击场意外|员工玩枪走火 游客遭子弹穿脸断齿 事件后续曝
. . . jī chǎng yì wài yuán gōng wán qiāng zǒu huǒ yóu kè zāo zǐ dàn chuān liǎn duàn chǐ shì jiàn hòu xù pù
...Shooting Range Accident | Employee's Gun Accidentally Discharges; Visitor Shot in the Face, Loses Teeth; Further Details Emerge
今天公生别铁齿!做这“8件事”恐穷整年
jīn tiān gōng shēng bié tiě chǐ ! zuò zhè 8 jiàn shì kǒng qióng zhěng nián
Today, you are born with iron teeth! Doing these "8 things" is afraid of poverty for a whole year
他的牙齿被烟熏黄了。
Tā de yáchǐ bèi yānxūn huáng le.
His teeth are yellow from smoking too much.
鳄鱼有尖利的牙齿。
èyú yǒu jiānlì de yáchǐ.
Crocodiles have sharp teeth.
他用牙齿咬碎了核桃。
Tāyòng yáchǐ yǎo suì le hétao.
He cracked the walnut with his teeth.
我在牙医那儿检查了牙齿。
Wǒ zài yáyī nàr jiǎnchá le yáchǐ.
I had my teeth examined at the dentist's.
剑齿虎是在冰河时期绝种的。
Jiànchǐhǔ shì zài bīnghéshíqī juézhǒng de.
It was during the ice age that the saber-toothed tiger became extinct.
Character Family
齿 Radical Family — Characters sharing the tooth radical
Related Characters
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 齿 (chǐ) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 齿 have?
What is the radical of 齿?
What are the components of 齿?
What are common words containing 齿?
What characters sound the same as 齿 (chǐ)?
Is 齿 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 齿 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.