嚼
jiáo · HSK 7
to chew
👄 口 (mouth) + 爵 (jué, a noble title) — the mouth radical tells you chewing happens, jué carries the sound
嚼 pairs the 口 mouth radical with 爵 (jué), which lends the pronunciation jiáo/jué. Chewing is something the mouth does, so the radical is your anchor for the meaning.
嚼 — mouth 口 + 爵 (jué, phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The mouth radical 口 signals the meaning—an action done with the mouth, namely chewing. The right side 爵 (jué), originally a ritual wine vessel, supplies the sound, with 嚼 later shifting to the reading jiáo for 'to chew.'