咬 (yǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “to bite”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 交 (to cross; to hand over; to intersect), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to bite”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 交
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：齩，齧骨也。从齒交聲；今通用「咬」，从口交聲。现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（口3 + 交6 = 9 笔）
Memory aid
口 on the left is the mouth — that is what does the work. 交 on the right only lends the sound. A mouth plus jiāo gives you yǎo: to bite.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 叮咬dīng yǎoto bite or sting (of insects)咬 = yǎo
- 咬牙yǎo yáto grit one's teeth; to bear down and endure咬 = yǎo
Go deeper
All readings
to bite
to bite; to nip; (of insects) to sting
上下牙齿用力对着，把东西夹住或弄碎；蚊虫等叮人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 叮咬dīng yǎoto bite or sting (of insects)咬 = yǎo
- 咬牙yǎo yáto grit one's teeth; to bear down and endure咬 = yǎo
Sound component
交 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 咬 mean?
咬 (yǎo) means to bite; to nip; (of insects) to sting.
How do you pronounce 咬?
It is pronounced yǎo.
What parts is 咬 made of?
口 (mouth) and 交 (to cross; to hand over; to intersect), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：齩，齧骨也。从齒交聲；今通用「咬」，从口交聲。现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（口3 + 交6 = 9 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 咬 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 咬?
口. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 咬?
Common ones are 叮咬 and 咬牙. The reading of 咬 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.