齒 meaning and stroke order
Teeth; gears, cogs; age
How to write 齒, stroke by stroke
15 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 齒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) tooth
- (bound form) to regard as worthy of mention
How 齒 is built
Pictographic character. Upper and lower teeth 从; 止 provides the pronunciation.
How to remember 齒
Picture an open mouth 凵 with two rows of teeth inside, each row drawn as 从, split by a line 一 where the jaws meet. On top sits 止 (zhǐ), which gives the sound hint for chǐ.
齒 is the traditional form and is rarely used alone. It appears in compounds like 牙齒 (yáchǐ, tooth) and 齒輪 (chǐlún, gear). Example: 我的牙齒很痛。(Wǒ de yáchǐ hěn tòng.) My tooth really hurts.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 齒 (chǐ, third tone) with 恥/耻 (chǐ, shame), which sounds the same. They also forget that the simplified form 齿 keeps 止 on top but puts a single 人 inside the mouth instead of the 从 rows.
Common words with 齒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Characters that contain 齒
Learning 齒 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 齒
How many strokes are in 齒?
齒 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 齒 mean?
齒 (chǐ) means teeth; gears, cogs; age. A common word with it is 牙齿 (yáchǐ), meaning "tooth; dental".
How do you pronounce 齒?
齒 is pronounced chǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the simplified form of 齒?
齒 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 齿, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 牙 and 齒 for teeth?
In modern speech 牙 (yá) is the everyday word for tooth, as in 刷牙 (shuāyá, brush teeth). 齒 mostly appears in compounds and formal or written language, like 牙齒 or 齒科 (dental).
Why does 啟齒 mean to bring up a topic?
啟齒 (qǐchǐ) literally means to open the teeth, that is, to open your mouth and speak. It often appears in 難以啟齒 (nányǐqǐchǐ), describing something too embarrassing to say.