嚼
jiáo, jué
To chew in Chinese is 嚼. If unsure, use 嚼 (jiáo, jué). Wiktionary also lists 咀嚼 (jǔjué).
Meaning: to crush food with teeth prior to swallowing (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 嚼 | jiáo, jué |
| 咀嚼 | jǔjué |
The verb refers to the action of crushing food with one's teeth prior to swallowing.
Which one should you use?
While 嚼 is the common way to say chew, 咀嚼 is a more formal or literary term often used in written contexts or to describe the physical process of mastication.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 嚼 can be used in a reduplicated form, 嚼嚼, to indicate a brief or casual action of chewing.
How do you pronounce it?
jiáo, jué
Did you know?
- In some contexts, the word 嚼 is used in the term 嚼舌根, which literally means 'chewing the root of the tongue' but actually means to gossip behind someone's back.
- In Chinese, the term 咀嚼 is used metaphorically to describe the act of 'chewing over' or deeply contemplating a complex idea or piece of text.
- The word 嚼 is likely related to an ancient root shared with the Mon-Khmer and Sino-Tibetan language families, meaning 'to eat'.
Examples in context
- 我嚼口香糖。I chew gum.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 嚼 with a noun.Tatoeba #9956903 by GlossaMatik, translation #2528462 by BoriQa
- 我不太能嚼東西。It is hard for me to chew.This sentence is useful for using 嚼 to describe an ability or difficulty.Tatoeba #1583260 by tsayng, translation #2566204 by VirtuOZ
- 请慢慢地咀嚼食物。Please chew your food slowly.
- 不要急着嚼，这样更容易消化。Don't chew too fast, it's easier to digest this way.
- 我喜欢吃有嚼劲的食物。I enjoy eating food with a good chewiness.
- 你要慢慢嚼。Nǐ yào mànmàn jiáo.You should chew slowly.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are eating lunch together.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen这块肉太硬了，很难嚼。Zhè kuài ròu tài yìng le, hěn nán jiáo.This piece of meat is too tough, it's hard to chew.
- 浩然 Haoran换一块软一点的吧。Huàn yī kuài ruǎn yīdiǎn de ba.Let's change to a softer piece.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen浩然，你觉得这个好嚼吗？Hàorán, nǐ juéde zhège hǎo jiáo ma?Haoran, do you find this easy to chew?
- 浩然 Haoran这个还可以。Zhège hái kěyǐ.This one is alright.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chew” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 嚼, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
