Korean word

충치

Pronunciation

Romanizationchungchi

단것을 많이 먹어서 충치가 생겼어요.tan geo seul ma ni meo geo seo chung chi ga saeng gyeo sseo yo

I got a cavity because I ate too many sweets.

어제 치과에서 충치 치료를 받았어요.eo je chi gwa e seo chung chi chi ryo reul pa da sseo yo

I had a cavity treated at the dentist yesterday.

A tooth damaged by decay, leaving a hole or dark spot in its surface.

치아chia: The hard parts in the mouth that help chew food and form speech sounds.
이가iga: A single tooth inside the mouth.

이가 썩어 구멍이나 검은 반점이 생긴 상태를 이르는 명사.i ga sseo geo ku meong i na keo meun pan jeo mi saeng gin sang tae reul i reu neun myeong sa

The word comes from a Sino-Korean expression meaning worm tooth, an old image of a tooth eaten away as if by a worm.

English speakers often use toothache for dental pain, but this word identifies a decay problem rather than pain itself.