嚼 meaning and stroke order
To chew; also pr. [jue2]
How to write 嚼, stroke by stroke
20 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 嚼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to chew
- also pr. [jue2]
- used in 倒嚼[dao3 jiao4]
How 嚼 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 爵 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 嚼
嚼 combines 口 (mouth) with 爵 (jué), which gives the sound. Picture a mouth working hard on something, chewing it over and over.
In everyday speech 嚼 is read jiáo and means to chew, as in 嚼口香糖 (jiáo kǒuxiāngtáng, to chew gum). The reading jué appears mainly in the literary word 咀嚼 (jǔjué), which can also mean to think something over carefully. Example: 慢慢嚼 (mànmàn jiáo) Chew slowly.
Common mistake: Learners often say jué in casual speech. Use jiáo for plain chewing and keep jué for 咀嚼. Also do not confuse 嚼 with 爵 (jué, a noble title), which has no 口 on the left.
Common words with 嚼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 咀嚼 | jǔjué | to chew; to think over |
嚼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 嚼
How many strokes are in 嚼?
嚼 is written with 20 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 嚼 mean?
嚼 (jiáo) means to chew; also pr. [jue2]. A common word with it is 咀嚼 (jǔjué), meaning "to chew; to think over".
How do you pronounce 嚼?
嚼 has more than one reading: jiáo and jué. The most common is jiáo, said in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 嚼?
The radical of 嚼 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 嚼 under this radical.
Is 嚼 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 嚼 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 嚼舌头 mean?
嚼舌头 (jiáo shétou) literally means chewing the tongue. It means to gossip or talk nonsense behind someone's back. This connects to the sense of prattling.
How is 嚼 read in 倒嚼?
In 倒嚼 (dǎojiào) it is read jiào with the fourth tone. The word means to ruminate, the way cows bring food back up to chew again.