Charassognathus (meaning 'notched jaw') is an extinct genus of Late Permian cynodont. Described in 2007 from a locality near Fraserburg, South Africa, Charassognathus is the earliest and most basal cynodont. It is known only from the Holotype which dates from the upper Permian Period. The type species C. gracilis is the only species of Charassognathus. The holotype (South African Museum SAM-PK-K 10369) is made up of a crushed skull, partial lower jaw and one leg.