虫牙

蟲牙

chóngyá

noun #56,081

Measure Word

一颗虫牙 kē

Meanings

1 tooth decay
2 dental cavity
3 rotten tooth

Characters

Examples

孩子吃太多糖会长虫牙。

Háizi chī tài duō táng huì zhǎng chóngyá.

Eating too much candy gives kids cavities.

他的虫牙疼得睡不着觉。

Tā de chóngyá téng de shuì bù zháo jiào.

His decayed tooth hurt so much he couldn't sleep.

Tips

culture

Literally 'worm tooth.' The folk belief that cavities were caused by tiny worms eating into the tooth was common across many ancient cultures (Babylonian, European, Chinese). The medical term is 龋齿 (qǔchǐ), but 虫牙 is what parents actually say.

Stroke Order

虫 chóng

牙 yá