Tongue body color 舌色
Pale tongue 淡白舌
a tongue less red than normal, indicating qi and blood deficiency or presence of deficiency-cold
Pale red tongue 淡紅舌
a tongue of normal color
Red tongue 紅舌
a tongue redder than normal, indicating presence of heat
Blue tongue 靑舌
a tongue of bluish color, indicating congealing cold and static blood
Purple tongue 紫舌
a tongue purple in color, indicating stagnant circulation of qi and blood
Bluish purple tongue 靑紫舌
a cyanotic tongue, indicating blood stasis or heat toxin in the nutrient-blood
Crimson tongue 絳舌
a tongue deep red in color, indicating intense heat
Form of the tongue 舌形
Enlarged tongue 胖大舌
a tongue that is larger than normal, pale in color and delicate, usually bearing dental indentations on the margin
Swollen tongue 腫脹舌
a large and bulging tongue that makes the mouth full or difficult to open
Thin tongue 瘦薄舌
a tongue thinner than normal
Spotted tongue 點刺舌
a tongue with red, white or black spots as well as thorn-like protrusions on its surface
Prickly tongue 芒刺舌
a tongue with thorn-like protrusions on its surface
Teeth-marked tongue 齒痕舌
a tongue with dental indentations on its margin
Fissured tongue 裂紋舌
a tongue with fissures on its surface
Sublingual collateral vessels 舌下絡脈
the vein under the tongue on either side of the frenulum
Tongue fur 舌苔, Fur color 苔色, Texture of fur 苔質
white fur 白苔
tongue coating white in color
White sandy fur 白砂苔
white dry and thick tongue coating like a layer of sand
Yellow fur 黃苔
Tongue coating yellow in color
Black fur 黑苔
tongue coating black in color, indicating either excessive cold or extreme heat in the interior
Gray fur 灰苔
tongue coating gray in color with similar clinical significance as black fur
Greenish fur 綠苔
tongue coating green in color
Thin fur 薄苔
a tongue coating through which the underlying tongue surface is faintly visible
thick fur 厚苔
a tongue coating through which the underlying tongue surface is not visible
rotten-curdy fur 霉醬苔
a reddish thick tongue coating with black and yellow tinge
Moist fur 潤苔
a moderately moistened tongue coating
Dry fur 燥苔
a tongue coating that looks dry and feels dry to the touch
Dry and cracked fur 燥裂苔
a tongue coating that lacks moisture and develops cracks
Slippery fur 滑苔
a moist tongue coating with excessive fluid, feels slippery
Slimy fur 膩苔
a dense, turbid, slimy tongue coating, sticking on the tongue, hard to wipe off, also known as greasy fur
Sticky slimy fur 粘膩苔
a dense, turbid, slimy tongue coating, covered with a layer of thick turbid mucus
Curdy fur 腐苔
a tongue coating consisting of coarse granules like bean dregs, easy to wipe off peeling fur
Peeled tongue 光剝舌
a tongue that has lost its normal coating, giving the appearance of having been peeled
Mirror tongue 鏡面舌
a completely smooth tongue free of coating, like a mirror
Geographical tongue 地圖舌
a tongue with irregular shedding of the coating and distinct demarcation between the shed and unshed areas, looking like a map
Terminologies and definitions used in this section are adopted from the WHO International Standard Terminologies on Traditional Medicine in the Western Pacific Region, 2009
Related Article: Tongue diagnosis: relationship between sublingual tongue morphology in three tongue protrusion angles and menstrual clinical symptoms. Journal of Integrative Medicine. 13(4):248-56, 2015 [Medline]