齚
to chew
Strokes20
Readings
On'yomi
- サク
- ジャク
- サ
- ジャ
Kun'yomi
- か.む
Meaning
齚 centers on the action of chewing, specifically using the teeth to grind or crush food.
Study
Etymology
齚 combines 齒 (teeth) with 乍, which likely contributes a phonetic element. The character is a phono-semantic compound where the teeth radical indicates the meaning related to chewing.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side is 齒 (teeth), and the right side 乍 looks like a person with an open mouth. Picture teeth clamping down on food as the jaw works: 齚 is to chew.
Reading mnemonic
For サク, imagine chewing on a sack lunch: sack -> サク, and your teeth are grinding the food inside.