啮

Tap the pinyin to hear it

to gnaw; to erode

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

口 meaning “mouth” + 齿 sound ( chǐ )

Components 口齿

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
啮齿动物	niè chǐ dòng wù	rodent
啮齿目	niè chǐ mù	order of rodents (rats, squirrels etc)
啮齿类	niè chǐ lèi	rodents
啮合	niè hé	(of opposing teeth, or gears) to mesh; to engage
穷鼠啮狸	qióng shǔ niè lí	a desperate rat will bite the fox (idiom); the smallest worm will turn being trodden on
咬啮	yǎo niè	to gnaw
咬啮	yǎo niè	variant of 咬嚙\|咬啮[yao3 nie4]; to gnaw
啮咬	niè yǎo	to gnaw

Characters sharing the sound component 齿 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
齿 sound part	chǐ	teeth; gears, cogs; age
龊	chuò	narrow, small-minded; dirty (2)