noun HSK 2
mouth · beak
Meaning
嘴 refers to the mouth, the part of the face used for eating and speaking. It can refer to human mouths or the beaks of birds. This is the most common everyday word for mouth in Mandarin Chinese.
Usage
嘴 is used in everyday conversation and is neutral in register. Native speakers commonly use it in compounds and expressions related to speaking, eating, or describing someone's way of talking. It often appears in phrases describing talkative people or dietary preferences.
Examples
- 01他的嘴里塞满了食物。.His mouth was stuffed full of food.
- 02请你闭嘴，我在说话！, !Please shut your mouth, I'm talking!
Measure words
- 张一张嘴
Common collocations
- 嘴巴mouth (colloquial)
- 张嘴to open one's mouth
- 闭嘴to shut up
- 嘴甜sweet-talker, smooth talker
Origin
The character 嘴 combines the mouth radical 口 (kǒu) with 觜 (zuǐ), which originally referred to a bird's beak, reflecting the character's meaning for both human mouths and animal beaks.