Chinese word

头

Pronunciation

Pinyintóu

Meaning

  • nounhead

Example

医生检查了我的头。yī shēng jiǎn chá le wǒ de tóu

The doctor examined my head.

Illustration for 头 (head)

More examples

他今天洗了头。tā jīn tiān xǐ le tóu

He washed his hair today.

Core concept

The upper or leading end of a body or thing, also used as one count for a large animal.

Common phrases

  • 洗头xǐ tóu

    wash one's hair

  • 头发tóu fa

    hair

  • 头疼tóu téng

    have a headache

Similar words

脑袋nǎo dài: An informal term for the whole head or the brain inside it.
头部tóu bù: A formal name for the head considered as a body part.
额头é tóu: The flat area of the face between the hairline and the eyebrows.

Definition in Chinese

指人或动物身体的上部，为感觉和思维的中心；也指事物的最前端，有时作量词用于计数大型家畜。zhǐ rén huò dòng wù shēn tǐ de shàng bù wèi gǎn jué hé sī wéi de zhōng xīn yě zhǐ shì wù de zuì qián duān yǒu shí zuò liàng cí yòng yú jì shù dà xíng jiā chù

Word origin

The character 头 (tóu, "head") is the simplified form of an older character whose 頁 (yè, "head") part marks the meaning and 豆 (dòu, "bean") part suggests the sound.

Usage tips

  • The pronunciation tóu uses a rising second tone, while a first-tone syllable stays high and level, making tone shape important in listening.

Other meanings

  • frontnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word