Chinese

咬

yǎo
to bite; to snap at; to gnaw
  • Phono-semantic compound 形聲
  • HSK 5
  • TOCFL 5
  • radical 口
  • 9 strokes
  • 齩

Etymology graph

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  • derived
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Origin

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 /形声, OC *kreːw, *ŋɡreːwʔ, *qreːw): semantic 口 (“mouth”) + phonetic 交 (OC *kreːw).

(oral sex): Ideogrammic compound (會意 /会意): 口 + 交.

Perhaps Sino-Tibetan; compare Chepang ङेव्ह्सा (ŋewh-, “to nibble”) (Schuessler, 2007). The Min vernacular readings are reminiscent of Proto-Tai *giəwꟲ (“to chew”), whence Thai เคี้ยว (kíao) (ibid.).

From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Lineage

  • meaningChinese口 “mouth, especially the lips and internal mouth cavity (Classifier: 把 c)”
  • soundChinese交 “to intersect; to cross”

Related: Chepang ङेव्ह्सा, Proto-Tai *giəwꟲ, Thai เคี้ยว

Sources