刷牙
to brush one's teeth
shuāyá
What does 刷牙 mean?
刷牙 (shuāyá) is a verb-object compound that literally means 'to brush teeth.' Like other Chinese verb-object pairs (吃饭 'eat rice,' 睡觉 'sleep'), it functions as a single intransitive action in conversation: you don't normally say 刷我的牙 or attach another object — you just say 刷牙.
To talk about frequency or completion, insert a measure phrase between the verb and the noun: 刷一次牙 ('brush teeth once'), 刷两分钟牙 ('brush teeth for two minutes'), or use 了 after 刷 once the action is done: 我刷了牙. The two tools are 牙刷 (yáshuā, 'toothbrush') and 牙膏 (yágāo, 'toothpaste') — note how the same characters flip order to switch from verb to noun.
Character breakdown
to brush; to scrub
tooth; teeth
Memory hook: Same characters as 牙刷 'toothbrush' but flipped — 牙刷 is the thing, 刷牙 is the action.
Example sentences
我每天早上都刷牙。
Wǒ měi tiān zǎoshang dōu shuāyá.
I brush my teeth every morning.
neutral
睡觉以前别忘了刷牙。
Shuìjiào yǐqián bié wàng le shuāyá.
Don't forget to brush your teeth before bed.
spoken
他刷牙刷得很快。
Tā shuāyá shuā de hěn kuài.
He brushes his teeth very quickly.
spoken
孩子，去刷牙！
Háizi, qù shuāyá!
Kiddo, go brush your teeth!
spoken
我已经刷过牙了。
Wǒ yǐjīng shuā guo yá le.
I've already brushed my teeth.
spoken
Common phrases with 刷牙
Don't confuse 刷牙 with
牙刷 (noun) = toothbrush, the tool. 刷牙 (verb) = the act of brushing teeth. Same characters, opposite order, different parts of speech.
洗脸 = wash one's face. Both are morning-routine verbs but 刷牙 specifically means brushing teeth, not general washing.
刷 also means 'to swipe' — 刷卡 means 'swipe a card / pay by card.' Same verb 刷, completely different object.