jaw, chin, gill
On'yomi (音読み)
- ガク
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- あご
- あぎと
About this kanji
The kanji 顎, pronounced as "あご" in its kun'yomi form, primarily means "jaw" or "chin." It is used mainly as a noun when discussing the lower or upper parts of the jaw. You can find it in compounds such as 下顎 (したあご), which means "lower jaw," and 上顎 (うわあご), meaning "upper jaw." Another interesting combination is 顎骨 (がっこつ), which refers to the "jawbone." A usage note is that while 顎 can refer to gills in some contexts, it is most commonly associated with the jaw in everyday conversations about anatomy or facial features.
Example sentences
顎に手を当てて考えた。
I pondered with my hand on my chin.
Meanings across languages
- English
- jaw, chin, gill
- Tiếng Việt
- hàm, cằm, mang
- 日本語
- 顎, あご, 鰓
- 한국어
- 턱, 턱걸이, 아가미
- 中文
- 下颌, 下巴, 腮
- id
- rahang
- th
- ขากรรไกร
- es
- mandíbula
- fr
- mâchoire
- de
- Kiefer
- pt
- maxilar
Common compounds
- 下顎したあごlower jaw, mandible
- 顎骨がっこつjawbone, mandible
- 上顎うわあごupper jaw, palate
- 顎紐あごひもchin strap
- 顎髭あごひげbeard (esp. on the chin), goatee
- 顎脚がっきゃくmaxilliped, gnathopod
- 顎門あぎとchin, jaw, gills
- 突顎とつがくprognathism
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.