部
Components
牙 means 'tusk'
Common readings
On
ガ ゲ
Additional readings
Kun は
Notes
A Joy o' Kanji essay is available for 牙 - click the badge to download
Tusks and fangs may seem unrelated to our lives, but without elephant tusks, we wouldn't have ivory carvings, the color ivory white, a country named Ivory Coast, or the horrible song "Ebony and Ivory." Most of that is also true in Japanese, because 牙 appears in all those terms (excluding the song title). In fact, the Japanese rely on 牙 to an even greater extent; they also use it in expressions about showing hostility, preparing for a fight, and acting in evil ways. On top of that, 牙 is a radical in three Joyo kanji, and it's part of the Shin-Joyo set (the group of characters added to the Joyo set in 2010).
See essay 1972 on 牙 (tusk, fang; "tusk" radical) to find out why there are tusks inside both 邪 (evil) and 芽 (bud).
Synopsis of
Radical Note for 牙 ⇗
by
Joy o' Kanji
Components
⿹ 于 from ノ (乃) katakana 'no'; whereupon; splitting away from
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Most useful words by reading
In the most useful 10,000 words in Japanese, 牙 is used 4 times, read 3 ways.
Across all words in Japanese, 牙 is used 28 times, read 3 ways.
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ガ
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ゲ
: 10 words
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きば
: 4 words
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An additional 7 less common words include 牙 but the reading has not yet been categorized.
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