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嚙 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
嚙nièto bite, to gnawx, 18 strokes, radical 口
niè(nie4)nie T4
  1. 1to bite, to gnaw
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March 24, 2026

嚙niè(nie4)

The character 嚙 (niè) means 'to bite' or 'to gnaw', often used to describe the action of biting into something with force or persistence. It can be used in both literal contexts, such as animals gnawing on bones, and metaphorical contexts, such as someone persistently pursuing a challenging task.

Strokes18Radical口
Cultural note

In traditional Chinese medicine, the act of biting and gnawing can relate to the concept of digestion and the importance of thorough chewing for health, reflecting a broader cultural emphasis on food and wellness.

Memory tip

Imagine a fierce dog (the radical '口' for mouth) gnawing on a tough bone, making a sound like 'niè' as it bites down hard. The character's structure visually connects the act of biting with the mouth, reinforcing its meaning.

Meanings of 嚙

niè(nie4)
1to bite, to gnaw
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 嚙

嚙Simplified
18Strokes
口Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

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Podcast: 嚙

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AI Study Notes for 嚙

Quick Contrast

咬 (yǎo) vs 嚙 (niè): Use 嚙 when emphasizing persistent or forceful biting, while 咬 is more general for any biting action.

Usage Notes

Be cautious with the tone; 'niè' has a falling tone, which can be easily confused with other tonal variations. This character is more formal and may not be commonly used in everyday conversation, so it's best suited for written or literary contexts. Common collocations include 嚙咬 (niè yǎo), meaning 'to bite' or 'to gnaw'.

HSK Study Tips

While 嚙 is not included in HSK levels, it relates to other words about eating or biting, such as 咬 (yǎo) and 嚼 (jiáo). Students should focus on distinguishing between similar-sounding words and their respective meanings.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 嚙 with other biting-related words like 咬 (yǎo), which is more commonly used in conversation. For example, saying '我嚙苹果' (wǒ niè píngguǒ) instead of '我咬苹果' (wǒ yǎo píngguǒ) would be incorrect.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 嚙

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Etymology of 嚙

Formation typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 齿 represents the sound. Simplified form of 嚙.

Memory hint

mouth

Semantic (meaning)口
+
Phonetic (sound)齒
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

嚙 = 口 + 齒. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 嚙

IDS Structure⿰口齒
嚙Full character
=
口kou3
left
齒chi3
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 嚙?

How to say to bite, to gnaw in Chinese

“to bite, to gnaw” in Chinese is嚙niè

The character 嚙 (niè) means 'to bite' or 'to gnaw', often used to describe the action of biting into something with force or persistence. It can be used in both literal contexts, such as animals gnawing on bones, and metaphorical contexts, such as someone persistently pursuing a challenging task.

When to use 嚙

Be cautious with the tone; 'niè' has a falling tone, which can be easily confused with other tonal variations. This character is more formal and may not be commonly used in everyday conversation, so it's best suited for written or literary contexts. Common collocations include 嚙咬 (niè yǎo), meaning 'to bite' or 'to gnaw'.

嚙 or something close to it

咬 (yǎo) vs 嚙 (niè): Use 嚙 when emphasizing persistent or forceful biting, while 咬 is more general for any biting action.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 嚙 with other biting-related words like 咬 (yǎo), which is more commonly used in conversation. For example, saying '我嚙苹果' (wǒ niè píngguǒ) instead of '我咬苹果' (wǒ yǎo píngguǒ) would be incorrect.

Write 嚙

嚙

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Word Family of 嚙

Words containing this character4
啮nièto gnaw嚙
啮合to engage嚙合
咬啮to gnaw咬齧
啮齿目order of rodents (rats, squirrels etc)嚙齒目
Exercise 1 of 4

Characters with 嚙

What does 啮 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 嚙

No, 嚙 is more likely to be found in written contexts rather than in everyday speech.

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