Kanji 噛: chew, bite, gnaw

Key takeaways

Kanji 噛: chew, bite, gnaw. Readings and core meaning.

See vocabulary and examples below.

Kanji at a glance

噛

Meaning

chewbitegnaw

On reading

こうごう

Kun reading

か.むか.じる

Radical

口

Core meaning / core image

Core meaning: 噛

chew, bite, gnaw

Kanji structure breakdown

噛

Structure breakdown

口 + 歯

Mnemonic story

This character combines mouth (口) and tooth (歯). It intuitively represents the action of using the teeth inside the mouth to bite or chew food.

On'yomi and kun'yomi

Kun reading

か.む

噛るかじる
to bite / to chew / to nibble / to have some knowledge
噛むかむ
to bite / to chew

Commonly used words

噛る
かじる
to bite / to chew / to nibble / to have some knowledge
噛む
かむ
to bite / to chew

Example sentences

Example 1

りんごをかじると甘い。

Translation

When I bite into the apple, it's sweet.

Example 2

日本語を少しかじっている。

Translation

I have a little knowledge of Japanese.

Example 3

りんごを噛み切って食べた。

Translation

I bit off a piece of the apple and ate it.

Example 4

ロープを噛み切って脱出した。

Translation

He gnawed through the rope and escaped.

Kanji 噛: chew, bite, gnaw

Kanji at a glance

Core meaning / core image

Kanji structure breakdown

Mnemonic story

On'yomi and kun'yomi

Kun reading

Commonly used words

Example sentences

噛る (かじる): meaning and examples

噛み切る (かみきる): meaning and examples

噛む (かむ): meaning and examples