Chinese word

掉头

Pronunciation

Pinyindiào tóu

Meaning

  • verbmake a U-turn

Example

这里可以掉头吗？zhè lǐ ké yǐ diào tóu ma

Can we make a U-turn here?

Illustration for 掉头 (make a U-turn)

More examples

在这个路口不能掉头，要到下一个交叉口再掉头。zài zhè ge lù kǒu bù néng diào tóu yào dào xià yí gè jiāo chā kǒu zài diào tóu

You cannot make a U-turn at this intersection; go to the next intersection to make a U-turn.

Core concept

A moving thing pivots around and faces the route behind it.

Common phrases

  • 掉头车道diào tóu chē dào

    U-turn lane

  • 路口掉头lù kǒu diào tóu

    make a U-turn at an intersection

Similar words

调头diào tóu: Turn a vehicle around on a road to face the opposite direction.
转弯zhuǎn wān: Change direction by following a bend or turning at a corner while moving.
转向zhuǎn xiàng: Turn a person's body or a vehicle to face a different direction.

Definition in Chinese

在行进过程中把前进方向改变为相反方向，指把车头或身体转过来以折返或回头行驶。zài xíng jìn guò chéng zhōng bǎ qián jìn fāng xiàng gǎi biàn wéi xiāng fǎn fāng xiàng zhǐ bǎ chē tóu huò shēn tǐ zhuǎn guò lái yǐ zhé fǎn huò huí tóu xíng shǐ

Word origin

掉 (diào, "turn or redirect") + 头 (tóu, "head or front end") uses a directional sense of 掉 rather than its familiar sense "drop" to describe the front end changing course.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, the verb can stand without an object when the vehicle or person is already clear from the situation.

Other meanings

  • turn backverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 掉头车道diào tóu chē dàoU-turn lanenoun
  • 掉头处diào tóu chùplace to make a U-turnnoun

Word lists with this word