Components

牙 means 'tusk'

Animation / stroke order not available.
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Strokes : 4    Radical number: 92    Frequency: 2198   JLPT: N1    Usefulness: 5    Study set: 5-42    Grade: 8   Intermediate lesson: -    Beginner lesson: -   Begins 11 words   Used in 40 words   Used in 30 names   Component in 22 kanji (3 Jōyō)
Jōyō (常用)
On
   ガ   ゲ
Kun
   きば tusk, tooth, fang
Kun   
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 (evil) and (bud).
⿹   from   () katakana 'no'; whereupon; splitting away from  
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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.
Showing:
ガ : 14 words FIND ALL
1
noun
teeth (and tusks)
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ゲ : 10 words FIND ALL
0
noun
ivory
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きば : 4 words FIND ALL
1
noun
tusk; fang
(click the word for examples and links)
An additional 7 less common words include 牙 but the reading has not yet been categorized.
Henshall: Joy o' Kanji : 1972  Key to Kanji:

Cascading kanji view

ガ   ゲ   きば tusk, tooth, fang   
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katakana 'no'; whereupon; splitting away from
ウ    from   
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ニ   ふた    ふた two   
hook
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