ту
tuDungan
The English word "head" can be translated into Chinese in several ways, such as ту (tu) in Dungan or 頭 / 头 in Hokkien. Wiktionary also lists 頭腦 / 头脑 (tóunǎo) and 腦袋 / 脑袋.
Meaning: part of the body (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ту | tu | Dungan |
| 頭腦 / 头脑 | tóunǎo | |
| 腦袋 / 脑袋 | informal | |
| 頭 / 头 | thâu | Hokkien |
The ways to refer to the part of the body are 頭 / 头 and 腦袋 / 脑袋. 頭腦 / 头脑 is a compound word that literally means "head brain."
What does it mean word for word?
The word 頭腦 / 头脑 is a compound consisting of 頭 (head) and 腦 (brain).
Which one should you use?
腦袋 / 脑袋 is a more colloquial or informal way to refer to the physical head compared to the standard 頭 / 头.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
腦袋 / 脑袋 is used in informal situations.
Is it said differently in some regions?
ту is the form used in Dungan.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for ту is tu.
Did you know?
- One theory suggests that the character 頭 / 头 is related to 豆, a type of vessel, because skulls were sometimes used as drinking cups.
- In Chinese, the word for 'head' 頭 / 头 is often used to describe the 'top' or 'beginning' of non-human objects, such as the head of a street or the start of a queue.
- The character for 'head', 頭, uses the radical 頁, which originally depicted a person's head with hair.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Zihan tells Junjie that she feels unwell.
- 梓涵 Zihan俊杰，我的ту很不舒服。jùnjié, wǒ de tú hěn bù shūfú.Junjie, my head feels uncomfortable.
- 俊杰 Junjie你是不是发烧了？nǐ shì bù shì fā shāo le?Do you have a fever?
- 梓涵 Zihan可能吧，ту一直在跳。kě néng ba, tú yī zhí zài tiào.Maybe, my head is throbbing.
- 俊杰 Junjie那你快去休息吧。nà nǐ kuài qù xiū xí ba.Then go get some rest quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “head” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 頭, CC BY-SA 4.0.
