牙

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

牙 (Kangxi radical 92, 牙+0, 4 strokes, cangjie input 一女木竹 (MVDH), four-corner 1024₀)

1. Kangxi radical #92, ⽛.

Derived characters

• Index:Chinese radical/牙
• 邪 芽 雅

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 695, character 3
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 19909
• Dae Jaweon: page 1108, character 6
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1419, character 8
• Unihan data for U+7259

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Chinese

trad.		牙
simp. #		牙

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 牙
Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (牙) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
邪	*ljaː, *laː
衺	*ljaː
牙	*ŋraː
芽	*ŋraː
齖	*ŋraː, *ŋraːs
呀	*ŋraː, *hŋraː
枒	*ŋraː, *ŋraːs
雅	*ŋraːʔ
厊	*ŋraːʔ
庌	*ŋraːʔ
訝	*ŋraːs
迓	*ŋraːs
砑	*ŋraːs
犽	*ŋraːs
疨	*hŋraː
岈	*hŋraː
谺	*hŋraː
颬	*hŋraː
鴉	*qraː
釾	*laː

Etymology

Norman and Mei (1976) propose that this was a substrate loan; cf. Proto-Vietic *ŋaː (“ivory”) (Vietnamese ngà), Proto-Tai *ŋaːᴬ (“tusk; ivory”) (Thai งา (ngaa)). Pulleyblank (1983) disagrees with their hypothesis and considers Old Chinese to be the donor of this Wanderwort instead.

STEDT provisionally sets up Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-ŋja (“tusk; tooth”), comparing it to Mizo ngho (“tusk; fang”), Manipuri [script needed] (ya, “tooth”), Mru [script needed] (hngou, “tooth”), Pa'o Karen [script needed] (tə́ʔ ŋà, “tooth”).

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 牙

1. (anatomy) tooth (Classifier: 隻／只 c; 棚 c)

   牙齒／牙齿  ―  yáchǐ  ―  tooth

2. (anatomy) fang; tusk; canine tooth

   尖牙  ―  jiānyá  ―  fang

3. (anatomy) ivory; tusk of elephant

   牙雕  ―  yádiāo  ―  ivory sculpture

4. screw thread
5. (historical) broker

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 牙齒 (“tooth”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		齒
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		牙齒
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	牙
	Taiwan	牙
	Harbin	牙
	Singapore	牙齒
	Olginsky (Mikhaylovka)	牙
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	牙
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	牙
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	牙
	Wanrong	牙
	Xi'an	牙
	Xining	牙
	Xuzhou	牙
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	牙
	Ürümqi	牙
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	牙齒
	Chongqing	牙齒, 牙巴
	Wuhan	牙齒, 才調子
	Guiyang	牙齒
	Guilin	牙齒
	Liuzhou	牙齒
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	牙子
	Xinghua	牙齒
	Hefei	牙, 牙齒
Cantonese	Guangzhou	牙
	Hong Kong	牙
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	牙
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	牙
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	牙
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	牙
	Macau	牙
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	牙
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	牙
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	牙
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	牙
	Foshan	牙
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	牙
	Foshan (Shunde)	牙
	Foshan (Sanshui)	牙
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	牙
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	牙
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	牙
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	牙
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	牙
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	牙
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	牙
	Taishan	牙
	Kaiping (Chikan)	牙
	Enping (Niujiang)	牙
	Heshan (Yayao)	牙
	Dongguan	牙
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	牙
	Qingyuan	牙
	Fogang	牙
	Yingde (Hanguang)	牙
	Yangshan	牙
	Lianshan (Butian)	牙齒
	Lianzhou (Qingshui Sihui)	牙齒
	Shaoguan	牙, 牙齒
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	牙
	Renhua	牙齒
	Lechang	牙, 牙齒
	Zhaoqing (Gaoyao)	牙
	Sihui	牙
	Guangning	牙
	Deqing	牙
	Huaiji	牙
	Fengkai (Nanfeng)	牙
	Yunfu	牙
	Xinxing	牙
	Luoding	牙
	Yunan (Pingtai)	牙
	Yangjiang	牙
	Xinyi	牙齒
	Maoming (Xinpo)	牙
	Lianjiang	牙
	Nanning	牙齒, 牙
	Wuzhou	牙齒, 牙
	Yulin	牙齒, 牙
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	牙齒
	Guiping	牙齒
	Mengshan (Xihe)	牙齒
	Guigang (Nanjiang)	牙齒
	Beiliu (Tangliao)	牙齒
	Baise	牙齒
	Bobai	牙齒
	Lingshan	牙齒
	Pubei	牙齒
Qinzhou	牙齒
Beihai	牙齒
Ningming	牙齒
Hengzhou	牙齒
Hezhou (Pumen, Babu)	牙齒
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	牙
Singapore (Guangfu)	牙
Gan	Nanchang	牙齒
	Pingxiang	牙齒
Hakka	Meixian	牙齒
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	牙
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	牙
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	牙齒
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	牙
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	牙齒
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	牙齒
	Yudu	牙齒
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	牙齒
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	牙齒
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	牙齒
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	牙齒
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	牙齒
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	牙, 牙齒
	Hong Kong	牙
	Senai (Huiyang)	牙
	Singapore (Dabu)	牙齒
Huizhou	Jixi	牙齒
Jin	Taiyuan	牙
	Xinzhou	牙
Northern Min	Jian'ou	牙齒
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	牙
	Fuzhou (Changle)	牙
	Fuqing	喙齒
	Yongtai	牙齒
	Gutian	喙齒
	Fu'an	喙齒
	Ningde	喙齒
	Shouning	喙齒
	Zhouning	喙齒
	Fuding	牙齒
Southern Min	Xiamen	喙齒, 齒
	Xiamen (Tong'an)	喙齒
	Quanzhou	喙齒, 齒
	Jinjiang	喙齒
	Hui'an	喙齒
	Anxi	喙齒
	Dehua	喙齒
	Zhangzhou	喙齒, 齒
	Zhao'an	喙齒
	Kaohsiung	喙齒, 齒
	Yilan	喙齒
	Changhua (Lukang)	喙齒
	Taichung	牙齒
	Taichung (Wuqi)	喙齒
	Tainan	喙齒
	Taitung	喙齒
	Hsinchu	喙齒
	Penghu (Magong)	喙齒
	Penang (Hokkien)	喙齒, 牙
	Singapore (Hokkien)	喙齒, 齒
	Manila (Hokkien)	喙齒
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	牙齒
	Chaozhou	齒
	Shantou	齒
	Shantou (Chenghai)	齒
	Jieyang	齒
	Haifeng	牙
	Bangkok (Teochew)	齒
	Ho Chi Minh City (Teochew)	牙
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	齒
	Singapore (Teochew)	齒
	Pontianak (Teochew)	牙
	Leizhou	牙
	Wenchang	牙
	Haikou	齒
	Singapore (Hainanese)	牙, 喙齒
Puxian Min	Putian	齒
	Xianyou	喙齒
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	牙
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	牙齒
Shehua	Fu'an	牙
	Fuding	牙
	Luoyuan	牙
	Sanming	牙
	Shunchang	牙
	Hua'an	牙
Waxiang	Guzhang (Gaofeng)	牙齒
Wu	Shanghai	牙子, 牙齒
	Shanghai (Chongming)	牙齒
	Suzhou	牙子
	Wenzhou	牙齒, 牙
	Jinhua	牙齒
Xiang	Changsha	牙齒
	Loudi	牙齒
	Shuangfeng	牙齒

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (牙):

• → Japanese: 牙(げ) (ge); 牙(が) (ga)
• → Korean: 아(牙) (a)
• → Vietnamese: nha (牙)

Others:

• • Thai: งา (ngaa)
  • Lao: ງາ (ngā)
  • Shan: ငႃး (ngáa)
  • Ahom: 𑜂𑜠 (ṅa)

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

牙

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. tusk, fang

Readings

• Go-on: げ (ge, Jōyō ^†)
• Kan-on: が (ga, Jōyō)
• Kun: きば (kiba, 牙, Jōyō); き (ki); かび (kabi, 牙); は (ha, 牙)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
牙
き Grade: S
kun'yomi

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Japanese. Appears in the Man'yōshū.

Noun

牙(き) • (ki) 

1. (obsolete) fang, tusk, tooth (particularly the canine)
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 9, poem 1809:
     ; text here

     牙(き)喫建怒而(かみたけびて)

     kikamitakebite

     ferociously gnashing teeth

Usage notes

Although this term is no longer used in isolation, it does persist in certain compounds.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 牙(き)噛(が)む (kigamu): to gnash one's teeth
• 牙(き)骨(ぼね) (kibone): the jawbone, the mandible, the lower jaw

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
牙
きば Grade: S
kun'yomi

Compound of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Japanese elements 牙 (ki, “fang, tusk”) +‎ 歯 (ha, “tooth”). The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Noun

牙(きば) • (kiba) 

1. fang, tusk, tooth (particularly the canines)
2. (falconry) dog (primarily used for counting hunting dogs)

Usage notes

This is the most common term for fang in modern Japanese.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 牙(きば)上(じょう)面(めん) (kiba jōmen): ivory or boar tusk used to rub the surface of a print in order to bring out the gloss
• 牙(きば)筍(たけ)貝(がい) (kiba takegai): a kind of auger snail of family
• 牙(きば)獐(のろ) (kiba noro): the “fanged noro”, a kind of roe deer of genus Capreolus

Idioms

Idioms

• 牙(きば)を噛(か)む (kiba o kamu): “to bite one's fangs” → to gnash one's teeth
• 牙(きば)を研(と)ぐ (kiba o togu): “to sharpen one's fangs” → to prepare to hurt one's opponent. Compare sharpen one's claws
• 牙(きば)を鳴(な)らす (kiba o narasu): “to clash one's fangs” → to gnash one's teeth; to get angry; to bare one's fangs
• 牙(きば)を剥(む)く (kiba o muku): “to bare one's fangs”
• 牙(きば)あるものは角(つの)無(な)し (kiba aru mono wa tsuno nashi): “the one with fangs has no horns” → a metaphor for how no one is endowed with every advantage

See also

• 門(もん)歯(し) (monshi): incisor tooth
• 犬(けん)歯(し) (kenshi): canine tooth
• 小(しょう)臼(きゅう)歯(し) (shōkyūshi): premolar
• 臼(きゅう)歯(し) (kyūshi): molar
• 象(ぞう)牙(げ) (zōge): elephant tusk, ivory

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
牙
かび Grade: S
kun'yomi

Cognate with, and probably the noun derivation of, verb 黴びる (kabiru, “to go moldy”), from the root idea of something sprouting. Used in the Kojiki.

Noun

牙(かび) • (kabi) 

1. (obsolete) a plant sprout, a plant bud

Derived terms

• 葦(あし)牙(かび) (ashikabi): a reed sprout or bud

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
牙
は Grade: S
kun'yomi

Non-standard alternate spelling for 歯 (ha, “tooth”).

Noun

牙(は) • (ha) 

1. Alternative spelling of 歯 (“tooth”)

Etymology 5

Kanji in this term
牙
げ Grade: S
on'yomi

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Chinese 牙 (ngæ). Compare modern (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Min Nan reading gê.

The goon reading, so probably the reading as first imported into Japanese.

Noun

牙(げ) • (ge) 

1. an animal's fang or tusk
2. an elephant's tusk: ivory
3. a tooth

Usage notes

The tooth meaning is much more commonly expressed using the word 歯 (ha).

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 牙(げ)の笏(しゃく) (ge no shaku): an ivory mace or scepter, used by certain social classes in ancient Japan
• 牙(げ)歯(し) (geshi): teeth, tusks, or fangs
• 牙(げ)軸(じく) (gejiku): the inner edge of a scroll around which the scroll is wound, or an edge of a folding book to which pages are bound, made of ivory
• 牙(げ)床(しょう), 牙(げ)象(しょう) (geshō): a kind of cutout decorative carving technique for panels, wherein the corners are left intact to reinforce the structure of the panel
• 牙(げ)彫(ぼり) (gebori): a carving made from a tusk or fang, more specifically made of elephant ivory
• 牙(げ)笏(しゃく) (geshaku): an ivory mace or scepter, used by certain social classes in ancient Japan

Etymology 6

Kanji in this term
牙
が Grade: S
on'yomi

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Chinese 牙 (ngæ). Compare modern (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Cantonese reading ngaa⁴.

The kan'on reading, so probably a later importation.

Affix

牙(が) • (ga) 

1. an animal's fang or tusk
2. an elephant's tusk: ivory
3. a tooth

Usage notes

The ga reading is only used in compounds, and is never used in isolation.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 牙(が)営(えい) (gaei): the headquarters of a general in a field camp
• 牙(が)音(おん) (gaon): a velar consonant (obsolete)
• 牙(が)関(かん)緊(きん)急(きゅう) (gakan kinkyū): lockjaw, a common symptom in the early stages of tetanus
• 牙(が)旗(き) (gaki): a flag raised at the site of an emperor's or general's field camp
• 牙(が)行(こう) (gakō): in China, a middleman or go-between in a commercial transaction
• 牙(が)山(ざん) (Gazan): the city of Asan, a port in South Korea
• 牙(が)商(しょう) (gashō): a middleman or go-between in a commercial transaction
• 牙(が)城(じょう) (gajō): the keep or main residence within a castle; a headquarters, a base, a stronghold
• 牙(が)人(じん) (gajin): in China, a middleman or go-between in a commercial transaction
• 牙(が)銭(せん) (gasen): a fee or commission charged by a 牙行(がこう) (gakō)
• 牙(が)虫(むし) (gamushi): a water scavenger beetle of family
• 牙(が)斧(ふ) (gafu): a small axe or hatchet made from boar tusk
• 牙(が)保(ほ) (gaho): a middleman or go-between in a commercial transaction
• 牙(が)保(ほ)罪(ざい) (gahozai): the crime of fencing goods known to be stolen
• 牙(が)保(ほ)犯(はん) (gahohan): the crime of fencing goods known to be stolen
• 牙(が)門(もん) (gamon): a gate on which a general's flag is flying; an army's headquarters
• 牙(が)籌(ちゅう) (gachū): an abacus; more specifically, an ivory abacus
• 牙(が)籤(せん), 牙(が)籖(せん) (gasen): a small placard or label made of ivory; a small claw-shaped ivory clasp for holding a book closed
• 牙(が)纛(とう) (gatō): the flag of a general's army, the pole of which was traditionally decorated with ivory on the end
• 牙(が)儈(かい) (gakai): in China, a middleman or go-between in a commercial transaction

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Korean

Hanja

牙 • (a) (hangeul 아)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

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Vietnamese

Han character

(deprecated template usage) 牙 (nha, ngà, nga)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.