godan verb (-ru), transitive verb
bite off; tear off with teeth
Describes biting and tearing something off forcefully, often with a vigorous or animal-like action.
犬が肉を食いちぎった。
The dog bit off a piece of meat.
彼はパンの端を食いちぎった。
He tore off the end of the bread with his teeth.
Standard mixed kanji-kana spelling.
Full kanji spelling; less common but still used.
Rare kanji spelling; may be encountered in older texts.
噛み切る means to bite through or sever by biting, focusing on cutting; 食いちぎる emphasizes tearing off a piece, often with a rougher, more forceful nuance.
Compound of 食い (kui, 'eating', continuative form of 食う) and ちぎる (chigiru, 'to tear off').