禿頭的 / 秃头的
tūtóu de
To say bald in Chinese, use 禿頭的 / 秃头的 (tūtóu de). It describes a person who has little or no hair. If unsure, use 禿頭的 / 秃头的. Wiktionary also lists 光禿禿的 / 光秃秃的 (guāngtūtū de).
Meaning: having little or no hair (adj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 禿頭的 / 秃头的 | tūtóu de |
| 光禿禿的 / 光秃秃的 | guāngtūtū de |
What does it mean word for word?
禿頭的 is made of 禿 meaning bald, 頭 meaning head and the adjective marker 的.
Which one should you use?
光禿禿的 / 光秃秃的 (guāngtūtū de) is more emphatic and is often used for bare surfaces or landscapes, such as a bald mountain or a bare branch.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Cantonese speakers commonly say 光頭 for a bald person.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say someone has gone bald, use the verb 禿 followed by the aspect particle 了, as in 禿了.
How do you pronounce it?
Say tūtóu de with a high level tone on tū, a rising tone on tóu and a light, unstressed de.
What mistakes should you avoid?
The noun 禿子 for a bald man is colloquial and often teasing or slightly rude, so avoid it when you want to speak about someone politely.
Did you know?
- Chinese culture has a traditional association between baldness and wisdom or high social status, particularly in the context of Buddhist monks, which contrasts with some Western insecurities about hair loss.
- The word 光 (guāng) in 光禿禿的 (guāngtūtū de) means 'light' or 'shiny' but also functions as a resultative verb meaning 'completely gone' or 'finished'.
- The word 禿 was historically used to describe monks who shaved their heads, leading to the term 禿子 becoming a colloquial way to refer to bald men.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bald” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
