噛む · godan verb (-mu)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 噛む | 噛まない |
| Polite | 噛みます | 噛みません |
| Past polite | 噛みました | 噛みませんでした |
| Past | 噛んだ | 噛まなかった |
| Te-form | 噛んで | 噛まないで |
| Desire | 噛みたい | 噛みたくない |
| Potential | 噛める | 噛めない |
| Passive | 噛まれる | 噛まれない |
| Causative | 噛ませる | 噛ませない |
| Causative passive | 噛ませられるalso 噛まされる | 噛ませられないalso 噛まされない |
| Volitional | 噛もう | |
| Polite volitional | 噛みましょう | |
| Imperative | 噛め | 噛むな |
| Conditional | 噛めば | 噛まなければ |
| Tara conditional | 噛んだら | 噛まなかったら |
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
General term for biting with teeth. Can be used for people, animals, or insects.
I was bitten on the hand by a dog.
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.
Let's chew our food well.
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.
I got nervous and stumbled over my words during the speech.
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.
The rough waves are crashing hard against the rocks.
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.
The two gears are not meshing properly.
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
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.
There was an expression that Edo period prostitutes would 'bite' (persuade) customers.
It's better to chew your food well before eating.
The rough waves crashed against the rocks.
The gears in this machine aren't meshing properly.
I accidentally bit my tongue while talking.
I got nervous and fumbled my lines.
She bit her lip in frustration.
I got bitten by a dog at the park.
crunch; masticate; chew up · simplify; explain in plain terms; break down
stumbling over words; fumbling one's speech; stuttering
bite off; gnaw through
bite wound; bite
teeth grinding; bruxism · gnashing one's teeth; gritting one's teeth
play-biting; mouthing; nipping
bone eating; gnawing on a bone; osteophagy
chewed-rice sake; mouth-chewed sake
chewy texture; chewiness
stifle a smile, yawn, etc. · bite to death
chew up; crush by chewing
chew thoroughly; digest by chewing; masticate well
Often used specifically for biting, especially by animals or in medical contexts.
Rarely used kanji form.