Chinese word

后脑勺

Pronunciation

Pinyinhòu nǎo sháo

Meaning

  • nounback of the head

Example

她摸了我的后脑勺，我很惊讶。tā mō le wǒ de hòu nǎo sháo wǒ hěn jīng yà

She touched the back of my head, and I was surprised.

Illustration for 后脑勺 (back of the head)

More examples

孩子不小心撞到了自己的后脑勺，开始哭了。hái zi bù xiǎo xīn zhuàng dào le zì jǐ de hòu nǎo sháo kāi shǐ kū le

The child accidentally hit the back of their head and started crying.

Core concept

The small, rounded area on the outside at the back of the head, where a hand can feel the skull.

Common phrases

  • 撞到后脑勺zhuàng dào hòu nǎo sháo

    hit the back of the head

  • 抓后脑勺zhuā hòu nǎo sháo

    scratch the back of the head

  • 拍后脑勺pāi hòu nǎo sháo

    pat the back of the head

Similar words

后脑勺儿hòu nǎo sháor: A casual spoken name for the small, touchable area at the back of a person's head.
后脑hòu nǎo: The general area on the back side of the head.
颈后jǐng hòu: The upper back of the neck near the hairline.

Definition in Chinese

指位于头部后方的一小块外表面，通常指颅骨后侧可被触摸的那一带，属于口语常用的身体部位名称。zhǐ wèi yú tóu bù hòu fāng de yì xiǎo kuài wài biǎo miàn tōng cháng zhǐ lú gǔ hòu cè kě bèi chù mō de nà yí dài shǔ yú kóu yǔ cháng yòng de shēn tǐ bù wèi míng chēng

Word origin

后脑勺 (hòunǎosháo, "back of the head") combines 后 (hòu, "back") and 脑 (nǎo, "brain") with 勺 (sháo, "spoon"), whose shape-based image suggests the rounded area behind the brain.

Usage tips

  • This is a natural everyday body-part word, especially in speech about touching or checking the back of someone's head, while more formal writing often uses a neutral anatomical expression.

Opposites

Related words

  • 后脑勺儿hòu nǎo sháorback of the headnoun

Word lists with this word