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), 凵 (structural) and 人 (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noun | chǐ lún | (machine) gear |
| 难以启齿phrase | nán yǐ qǐ chǐ | to be too embarrassed to mention sth (idiom) |
| 锯齿noun | jù chǐ | sawtooth |
| 口齿noun | kǒu chǐ | mouth and teeth |
| 臼齿noun | jiù chǐ | molar tooth |
| 不齿verb | bù chǐ | to despise |
| 启齿verb | qǐ chǐ | to open one's mouth |
| 犬齿noun | quǎn chǐ | canine tooth |
| 智齿noun | zhì chǐ | wisdom tooth |
| 咬牙切齿phrase | yǎo yá qiè chǐ | (idiom) to gnash one's teeth |
| 剑齿虎noun | 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noun | qǔ chǐ | tooth decay |
| 乳齿noun | 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)
memorable for the rest of one's life (usually for describing someone else's mercy or kind deed)
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.
配备毛发防缠绕系统，不缠齿梳，毛发再多也不缠绕。
pèi bèi máo fā fáng chán rào xì tǒng , bù chán chǐ shū , máo fā zài duō yě bù chán rào .
Equipped with a hair anti-tangle system, the comb’s teeth won’t get tangled—no matter how much hair there is.
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
Protect the Foundations of Your Teeth: Dentists Warn to Watch for Three Warning Signs of Periodontal Disease
...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
...Yuan Coffee isn’t a low-price trap; it’s a precision gear in the machine of efficiency
...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.
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 spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.