How common it is
咬 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say yǎo slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
咬指用牙齿夹住或弄碎东西，比如咬苹果或咬铅笔。
Yǎo zhǐ yòng yáchǐ jiā zhù huò nòng suì dōngxi, bǐrú yǎo píngguǒ huò yǎo qiānbǐ.
Bite means to use teeth to grip or crush something, like biting an apple or a pencil.
Context note
吃东西时要小心咬，不要咬到舌头。
Chī dōngxi shí yào xiǎoxīn yǎo, bùyào yǎo dào shétou.
Be careful when biting food, don't bite your tongue.
5 examples
他咬了一口苹果。
tā yǎo le yì kǒu píng guǒ。
He took a bite of the apple.
小狗喜欢咬骨头。
xiǎo gǒu xǐ huan yǎo gǔ tou。
The puppy likes to bite bones.
不要咬铅笔，不卫生。
bú yào yǎo qiān bǐ， bú wèi shēng。
Don't bite the pencil, it's unhygienic.
她轻轻咬了一下嘴唇。
tā qīng qīng yǎo le yí xià zuǐ chún。
She gently bit her lip.
他咬紧牙关，坚持跑完。
tā yǎo jǐn yá guān， jiān chí pǎo wán。
He clenched his teeth and insisted on finishing the run.
5 mini stories
小明咬了一口面包，觉得很好吃。他又咬了一口。
xiǎo míng yǎo le yì kǒu miàn bāo， jué de hěn hǎo chī。 tā yòu yǎo le yì kǒu。
Xiao Ming took a bite of bread and found it delicious. He took another bite.
小红在吃饼干时不小心咬到了舌头。她喝了点水。
xiǎo hóng zài chī bǐng gān shí bù xiǎo xīn yǎo dào le shé tou。 tā hē le diǎn shuǐ。
Xiao Hong accidentally bit her tongue while eating cookies. She drank some water.
小刚的兔子咬了一口胡萝卜，咔嚓咔嚓地吃。小刚笑了。
xiǎo gāng de tù zi yǎo le yì kǒu hú luó bo， kā chā kā chā dì chī。 xiǎo gāng xiào le。
Xiao Gang's rabbit took a bite of the carrot and crunched it. Xiao Gang smiled.
小丽咬了一口柠檬，酸得皱起了眉头。她赶紧喝水。
xiǎo lì yǎo le yì kǒu níng méng， suān dé zhòu qǐ le méi tóu。 tā gǎn jǐn hē shuǐ。
Xiao Li took a bite of a lemon and puckered from the sourness. She quickly drank water.
小华在画画时咬铅笔头，被妈妈看到了。妈妈告诉他不要咬。
xiǎo huá zài huà huà shí yǎo qiān bǐ tóu， bèi mā ma kàn dào le。 mā ma gào sù tā bú yào yǎo。
Xiao Hua bit the pencil tip while drawing, and his mom saw it. Mom told him not to bite.