歯は切ぎれ

は

ぎ

れ

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

texture when biting; crispness; chewiness

Describes the physical sensation or sound when biting into food, especially its crispness or firmness. Often used with 良い or 悪い.

このリンゴは歯は切ぎれが良よくておいしい。

This apple has a nice crisp bite and is delicious.

古ふるくなったクッキーは歯は切ぎれが悪わるかった。

The stale cookie had a poor texture when bitten.

2

noun

clarity of speech; articulation

Refers to the crispness or clarity of one's speech or enunciation. Almost always used in the set phrase 歯切れが良い/悪い.

Expressions

歯は切ぎれ良よいcrisp; clear; sharp
歯は切ぎれがいいcrisp; clear; staccato; piquant
歯は切ぎれが悪わるいinarticulate; unclear; evasive
歯は切ぎれの悪わるいinarticulate; unclear; evasive
歯は切ぎれの良よいcrisp; clear; sharp

Kanji

歯tooth, cog
切cut, cutoff, be sharp

Related words

歯は応ごたえ sense 1
歯応え refers specifically to the chewiness or resistance felt when biting into something like meat or al dente pasta, while 歯切れ focuses on the crispness or clean break of food, or clarity of speech.
明めい瞭りょうN1sense 2
歯切れ specifically describes the crisp, articulate rhythm of someone's speech (歯切れが良い), while 明瞭 is a broader term for clarity that can describe sound, writing, or ideas as well as speech.

Built from

歯は+切きれる

Etymology

Compound of 歯 (ha, 'tooth') and 切れ (kire, 'cutting, sharpness'), from the verb 切れる (kireru, 'to cut well, to be sharp'). The meaning extends from the physical sensation of a clean bite to the metaphorical crispness of speech.