頭 / 头
tóu
The English word "head" can be translated into Chinese in several ways, such as 頭 / 头 (tóu) 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 頭 / 头 | tóu | |
| 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 pronunciation for 頭 / 头 is tóu.
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.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “head” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 頭, CC BY-SA 4.0.
