Chinese word

石头

Pronunciation

Pinyinshí tou

Meaning

  • nounstone

Example

他把石头扔进了河里。tā bǎ shí tou rēng jìn le hé lǐ

He threw a stone into the river.

Illustration for 石头 (stone)

More examples

孩子们在院子里踢着小石头。hái zi men zài yuàn zi lǐ tī zhe xiǎo shí tou

The children are kicking small stones in the yard.

Core concept

A small, solid bit of rock with an irregular shape, imagined on a riverbank, roadside, or in a yard.

Common phrases

  • 小石头xiǎo shí tou

    small stone

  • 路边的石头lù biān de shí tou

    roadside stone

  • 踢石头tī shí tou

    kick a stone

Similar words

石块shí kuài: A somewhat large, block-shaped piece of hard rock.
小石子xiǎo shí zǐ: A tiny piece of rock small enough to pinch between the fingers.

Definition in Chinese

体积较小、可用手拾起的石块，常见于河滩、道路或庭院，质地坚硬且不规则。tǐ jī jiào xiǎo kě yòng shǒu shí qǐ de shí kuài cháng jiàn yú hé tān dào lù huò tíng yuàn zhì dì jiān yìng qiě bù guī zé

Word origin

石头 (shítou, "stone") is a compound of 石 (shí, "stone") and 头 (tou, "head"), with the second character functioning as a noun-forming element in this common word.

Usage tips

  • When counting individual pieces, Chinese commonly uses 块 (kuài, "piece") for a solid piece and may use 颗 (kē, "small rounded item") for a smaller, rounded one.

Other meanings

  • pebblenoun
  • rocknoun

Word lists with this word