Meaning of 牙
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- tooth
- ivory
Measure word: 顆|颗
How to use 牙
牙 (yá) usually appears in compounds about teeth and dental care, such as 牙刷 (yáshuā) toothbrush, 牙膏 (yágāo) toothpaste and 牙医 (yáyī) dentist. In speech people often say 牙 alone where writing might use 牙齿 (yáchǐ). Example: 我每天刷两次牙。(Wǒ měitiān shuā liǎng cì yá.) I brush my teeth twice a day.
Picture 牙 (yá) as two big molars locking together, with the hooked stroke as a root going down into the gum. It is a simple picture of a tooth biting down.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 牙 (yá) with 呀 (ya) and 芽 (yá, sprout), which contain 牙 as a sound part. Also note that 刷牙 (shuā yá) is verb plus object, so a phrase like "brush teeth twice" splits it: 刷两次牙, not 刷牙两次 in casual speech.
牙 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
牙 yá · tooth · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 牙.
| 刷牙 | shuā yá | to brush one's teeth |
| 牙刷 | yáshuā | toothbrush |
| 西班牙语 | Xībānyáyǔ | Spanish language |
| 牙齿 | yáchǐ | tooth; dental |
| 牙膏 | yágāo | toothpaste |
| 牙医 | yáyī | dentist |
| 假牙 | jiǎyá | false teeth; dentures |
| 以牙还牙 | yǐyáhuányá | a tooth for a tooth (retaliation) |
| 老掉牙 | lǎodiàoyá | very old; obsolete |
| 尖牙 | jiānyá | canine tooth; fang; tusk |
| 牙签 | yáqiān | toothpick |
| 象牙 | xiàngyá | ivory; elephant tusk |
Questions about 牙
What does 牙 mean?
牙 (yá) means "tooth; ivory" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 牙?
牙 is made of 1 character: 牙 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 牙 an HSK word?
Yes. 牙 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is 牙 in the word for Spanish, 西班牙语?
In 西班牙 (Xībānyá, Spain), 牙 is used only for its sound to transliterate the country name. It has nothing to do with teeth there. The same is true in 葡萄牙 (Pútáoyá, Portugal).
How do I say I have a toothache?
The most common way is 我牙疼 (wǒ yá téng) or 我牙痛 (wǒ yá tòng). You can add 有点儿 for a softer tone: 我牙有点儿疼。