牙

牙 (radical 92, 牙+0, 4 strokes, cangjie input 一女木竹 (MVDH), four-corner 1024₀)

1. Kangxi radical #92, ⽛.

• Index:Chinese radical/牙
• 邪 芽 雅

• KangXi: page 695, character 3
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 19909
• Dae Jaweon: page 1108, character 6
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 1419, character 8
• Unihan data for U+7259

Norman and Mei (1976) propose that this was a substrate loan; cf. Proto-Vietic *ŋaː (“ivory”) (Vietnamese ngà), Proto-Tai *ŋaːᴬ (“tusk; ivory”) (Thai งา (ngaa)). Pulleyblank (1983) disagrees with their hypothesis and considers Old Chinese to be the donor of this Wanderwort instead.

STEDT provisionally sets up Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-ŋja (“tusk; tooth”), comparing it to Mizo ngho (“tusk; fang”), Manipuri [script needed] (ya, “tooth”), Mru [script needed] (hngou, “tooth”), Pa'o Karen [script needed] (tə́ʔ ŋà, “tooth”).

牙

1. (anatomy) tooth (Classifier: 隻／只 c; 棚 c)

   牙齒 / 牙齿  ―  yáchǐ  ―  tooth

2. (anatomy) fang; tusk; canine tooth

   尖牙  ―  jiānyá  ―  fang

3. (anatomy) ivory; tusk of elephant

   牙雕  ―  yádiāo  ―  ivory sculpture

4. screw thread
5. (historical) broker

Others:

• → Tai: *ŋaːᴬ (“tusk, ivory”)
  • Thai: งา (ngaa)
  • Lao: ງາ (ngā)
  • Shan: ငႃး (ngáa)
  • Ahom: 𑜂𑜠 (nga)
• → Vietnamese: ngà (“ivory”)

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. tusk, fang

• Go-on: げ (ge, Jōyō, uncommon)
• Kan-on: が (ga, Jōyō)
• Kun: きば (kiba, 牙, Jōyō); き (ki); かび (kabi, 牙); は (ha, 牙)

From Old Japanese. Appears in the Man'yōshū.[1]

• Kun’yomi
  • IPA^(key): [kʲi]

牙 (hiragana き, rōmaji ki)

1. (obsolete) fang, tusk, tooth (particularly the canine)
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 9, poem 1809); text here

     牙 (き)喫建怒而 (かみたけびて)

     kikamitakebite

     ferociously gnashing teeth

Although this term is no longer used in isolation, it does persist in certain compounds.

Compound of Old Japanese elements 牙 (ki, “fang, tusk”) +‎ 歯 (ha, “tooth”).[2] The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) き​ば [kíꜜbà] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [kʲiba̠]

牙 (hiragana きば, rōmaji kiba)

1. fang, tusk, tooth (particularly the canines)
2. (falconry) dog (primarily used for counting hunting dogs)

This is the most common term for fang in modern Japanese.

• 門 (もん)歯 (し) (monshi): incisor tooth
• 犬 (けん)歯 (し) (kenshi): canine tooth
• 小 (しょう)臼 (きゅう)歯 (し) (shōkyūshi): premolar
• 臼 (きゅう)歯 (し) (kyūshi): molar
• 象 (ぞう)牙 (げ) (zōge): elephant tusk, ivory

Cognate with, and probably the noun derivation of, verb 黴びる (kabiru, “to go moldy”), from the root idea of something sprouting.[2] Used in the Kojiki.

• Kun’yomi
  • IPA^(key): [ka̠bʲi]

牙 (hiragana かび, rōmaji kabi)

1. (obsolete) a plant sprout, a plant bud

• 葦牙 (あしかび) (ashikabi): a reed sprout or bud

Non-standard alternate spelling for 歯 (ha, “tooth”).[2]

• Kun’yomi
  • IPA^(key): [ha̠]

牙 (hiragana は, rōmaji ha)

1. Alternative spelling of 歯 (“tooth”)

From Middle Chinese 牙 (ngæ). Compare modern Min Nan reading ge⁵.

The goon reading, so probably the reading as first imported into Japanese.

• On’yomi: Goon
  • IPA^(key): [ɡe̞]

牙 (hiragana げ, rōmaji ge)

1. an animal's fang or tusk
2. an elephant's tusk: ivory
3. a tooth

The tooth meaning is much more commonly expressed using the word 歯 (ha).

From Middle Chinese 牙 (ngæ). Compare modern Cantonese reading ngaa⁴.

The kan'on reading, so probably a later importation.

• On’yomi
  • IPA^(key): [ɡa̠]

牙 (hiragana が, rōmaji ga)

1. an animal's fang or tusk
2. an elephant's tusk: ivory
3. a tooth

The ga reading is only used in compounds, and is never used in isolation.

牙 • (a) (hangeul 아)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

牙 (nha, ngà, nga)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.