頭髮 / 头发
tau⁴ faat³
The Cantonese word for hair is 頭髮 / 头发 (tau⁴ faat³).
The term refers to the mass of filaments found on a human head.
Meaning: mass of such filaments on the human head (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound consisting of 頭 (tau⁴), meaning 'head' and 髮 (faat³), meaning 'hair/growth'.
How does it change in a sentence?
This noun is typically used as a single unit to refer to the hair on one's head.
How do you pronounce it?
tau⁴ faat³
Did you know?
- When talking about thinning hair or baldness, Cantonese speakers often use the phrase 地中海 (dei¹ zung¹ hoi²), which literally translates to 'the Mediterranean Sea'.
- In traditional Cantonese culture, cutting one's 頭髮 was historically associated with mourning or a major life transition, as hair was seen as a gift from one's parents that should not be severed lightly.
- To describe someone as 'white-haired' or elderly, Cantonese speakers use the term 白頭翁 (baak⁶ tau⁴ jung¹), which literally means 'white-headed old man' but is also the name for a specific type of bird.
Examples in context
- 頭髮應該保持整齊乾淨。Hair should be kept neat and clean.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hair” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
