Chinese word

嚼

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiáo

Meaning

  • verbchew

Example

她喜欢慢慢嚼苹果。tā xǐ huān màn màn jiáo píng guǒ

She likes to chew apples slowly.

Illustration for 嚼 (chew)

More examples

会议上不要在嘴里嚼口香糖。huì yì shàng bú yào zài zuí lǐ jué kǒu xiāng táng

Do not chew gum in your mouth during the meeting.

Core concept

Works food back and forth in the mouth until it is ready to swallow and its flavor comes through.

Common phrases

  • 细细地嚼xì xì dì jué

    chew well

  • 嚼着口香糖jué zhe kǒu xiāng táng

    chew gum

  • 嚼碎jué suì

    chew up

Similar words

咀嚼jǔ jué: Break food into small pieces through thorough chewing before swallowing or tasting it.
咬yǎo: Clench the teeth on something and bite it with noticeable force.
啃kěn: Work through hard food by biting it again and again as it is eaten.

Definition in Chinese

用嘴反复咬动并咀嚼食物，通过反复咀嚼使其便于吞咽或品尝味道的动作yòng zuǐ fǎn fù yǎo dòng bìng jǔ jué shí wù tōng guò fǎn fù jǔ jué shǐ qí biàn yú tūn yàn huò pǐn cháng wèi dào de dòng zuò

Word origin

The character 嚼 (jué, "chew") uses 口 (kǒu, "mouth") as its meaning cue and 爵 (jué, "wine vessel") as its sound cue, linking the character to a mouth action while indicating its pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may use "bite" for a single contact with food, while this verb centers on the repeated action that follows.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word