齿 chǐ tooth

源How it came to be

An open mouth seen from the front, the teeth drawn in two rows inside it. The other tooth character is the back teeth; these are the front ones, seen when somebody speaks.

用How it is used

• Literary/formal word for tooth - everyday spoken Chinese uses 牙 yá or 牙齿 yáchǐ, not 齿 alone.
• Survives productively in 齿轮 chǐlún "gear/cog," a mechanical part shaped like teeth, and generally in more literary or technical compounds.

字Characters built with 齿

• 龄 age

词Words with 齿

• 牙齿yáchǐtoothHSK 5