嘴 (zuǐ) — mouth (of humans and animals); beak; spout, nozzle (of a teapot, pipe, etc.)
Definition
嘴 is the everyday, concrete word for a mouth or beak; use 口 (kǒu) in formal or written style or as a measure word. Only 嘴 covers spouts of teapots/pipes (use 喷 for the verb 'to spout').
noun
mouth (of humans and animals)beakspoutnozzle (of a teapot, pipe, etc.)
Measure word · 张, 个
Examples
- 嘴。Tā zhāng kāi le zuǐ.He opened his mouth.
- 嘴。Xiǎo niǎo de zuǐ shì hóng sè de.The little bird's beak is red.
- 嘴。Zhè ge chá hú de zuǐ huài le.The spout of this teapot is broken.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
觜
觜zī嘴
Same sound today
嘴 pairs 口 (mouth) with 觜, which supplies its sound.
Appears in
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