godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
General term for biting with teeth. Can be used for people, animals, or insects.
犬に手を噛まれた。
I was bitten on the hand by a dog.
蚊に足を噛まれてかゆい。
A mosquito bit my leg and it's itchy.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
chew; gnaw; masticate
Focuses on the action of grinding food with teeth. よく噛んで食べる is a common phrase.
食べ物はよく噛んで食べましょう。
Let's chew our food well.
ガムを噛みながら話すのは失礼だ。
It's rude to talk while chewing gum.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
fumble one's words; stutter; stammer
Used when someone trips over their words, especially in performance or broadcasting. Often appears as 言葉を噛む or セリフを噛む.
緊張してスピーチで言葉を噛んでしまった。
I got nervous and stumbled over my words during the speech.
アナウンサーがニュースを読んでいて噛んだ。
The announcer fumbled while reading the news.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
crash against; break onto
Describes waves hitting the shore or rocks. Often used in literary or descriptive contexts.
波が岩に噛みつくように打ち寄せる。
The waves crash against the rocks as if biting them.
海岸に噛む波の音が聞こえる。
I can hear the sound of waves breaking onto the shore.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
Used for mechanical parts like gears or zippers that interlock. Often in the form 歯車が噛む or ファスナーが噛む.
この歯車はうまく噛み合わない。
These gears don't mesh well.
ファスナーが噛んで動かなくなった。
The zipper got stuck and won't move.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
Used in the idiom 一枚噛む (いちまいかむ), meaning to have a hand in something or be involved in a scheme or project.
See also: 一枚噛む
彼はその計画に一枚噛んでいるらしい。
It seems he has a hand in that plan.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
convince; persuade
Archaic usage, historically used by Edo period prostitutes. Not used in modern Japanese.
江戸時代の遊女が客を噛むという表現があった。
There was an expression that Edo period prostitutes would 'bite' (persuade) customers.