Chinese word

里头

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǐ tou

Meaning

  • nouninside

Example

钱包在里头。qián bāo zài lǐ tou

The wallet is inside.

Illustration for 里头 (inside)

More examples

箱子里头有很多书。xiāng zi lǐ tou yǒu hěn duō shū

There are many books inside the box.

Core concept

An inner space that holds a person or thing, whether it is a box, a room, or a larger place.

Common phrases

  • 在里头zài lǐ tou

    inside

  • 放在里头fàng zài lǐ tou

    put inside

  • 从里头拿出cóng lǐ tou ná chū

    take out from inside

Similar words

里面lǐ miàn: The inner position or space within a container, room, or other place.
里边lǐ biān: The inner position or space within a container or place, in casual speech.
里lǐ: A short way to show that someone or something is inside a place.

Definition in Chinese

口语中表示位置的词，指某物或某人位于某处的内部空间，常用于容器、房间或具体地方，常与“在”连用。kóu yǔ zhōng biǎo shì wèi zhì de cí zhǐ mǒu wù huò mǒu rén wèi yú mǒu chù de nèi bù kōng jiān cháng yòng yú róng qì fáng jiān huò jù tǐ dì fāng cháng yǔ zài lián yòng

Word origin

里头 (lǐtou, "inside") joins 里 (lǐ, "inner part") with 头 (tou, "place-forming suffix") to create a familiar spoken word for the inside of a place.

Usage tips

  • Chinese location sentences often put 在 (zài, "at/in") before the location word, whereas English usually puts the location word after the verb.

Opposites

Word lists with this word