蛀牙

zhùyá

noun

Measure Word

一颗蛀牙 kē

Meanings

1 tooth decay
2 dental cavity
3 rotten tooth

Characters

to be eaten by insects

Examples

小孩子吃太多糖容易长蛀牙。

Xiǎo háizi chī tài duō táng róngyì zhǎng zhùyá.

Kids who eat too much candy easily get cavities.

我这颗蛀牙疼得睡不着觉。

Wǒ zhè kē zhùyá téng de shuì bù zháo jiào.

This cavity hurts so bad I can't sleep.

医生给我补了两颗蛀牙。

Yīshēng gěi wǒ bǔ le liǎng kē zhùyá.

The dentist filled two of my cavities.

Tips

memory

蛀 means 'wood-boring insect' — Chinese imagines cavities as tiny worms eating holes in your teeth (小虫子在吃牙齿), a metaphor still used in children's toothpaste ads.

Stroke Order

蛀 zhù

牙 yá