Word

牙 (yá) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 3

Meaning of 牙

名 míng noun

tooth

我的牙疼。

wǒ de yá téng

My tooth hurts.

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Word breakdown

牙 yá — tooth

1 牙刷 yá shuā — toothbrush HSK 3
- 牙 tooth/teeth
- 刷 brush (tool)
Example

这是我的新牙刷。

zhè shì wǒ de xīn yá shuā

This is my new toothbrush.
2 牙膏 yá gāo — toothpaste HSK 4
- 牙 tooth/teeth
- 膏 paste/cream
Example

早上刷牙要用牙膏。

zǎo shang shuā yá yào yòng yá gāo

You need to use toothpaste when brushing your teeth in the morning.
3 牙齿 yá chǐ — teeth HSK 5
- 牙 tooth (colloquial term)
- 齿 tooth (formal/literary term)
Example

他的牙齿很白。

tā de yá chǐ hěn bái

His teeth are very white.
4 蛀牙 zhù yá — cavity HSK 7
- 蛀 decay, to eat into
- 牙 tooth
Example

我去看牙医，发现有一颗蛀牙。

wǒ qù kàn yá yī fā xiàn yǒu yī kē zhù yá

I went to the dentist and discovered I had a cavity.

Structure & writing

1 牙 yá — tooth (organ for biting and chewing in humans and higher animals)

牙 is a component in 7 characters

HSK 1

穿 chuān to pierce; to penetrate through

HSK 5

呀 yā exclamation of surprise or doubt

HSK 6

讶 yà (lit.) to be surprised; to wonder at

HSK 7

芽 yá bud; sprout (young shoot emerging from a seed or plant that can develop into a stem, leaf, or whole plant) 邪 xié wicked; evil; crooked 雅 yǎ court music of the Zhou dynasty; the Ya odes in the Book of Songs (divided into Greater Ya and Lesser Ya) 鸦 yā crow; a black-feathered bird with a large beak, long wings, and strong feet

牙 is an atomic character — it does not decompose further.

Stroke order