鐘頭 / 钟头
zung¹ tau⁴
The Cantonese word for "hour" is 鐘頭 / 钟头 (zung¹ tau⁴). Wiktionary also lists 鐘 / 钟 (zung¹).
Meaning: time period of sixty minutes (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 鐘頭 / 钟头 | zung¹ tau⁴ |
| 鐘 / 钟 | zung¹ |
鐘頭 / 钟头 is used to refer to a time period of sixty minutes.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 鐘頭 / 钟头 literally means "clock head".
Which one should you use?
鐘頭 / 钟头 is a colloquial way to say "hour". In contrast, the shorter form 鐘 / 钟 is more commonly used as a component in other time-related words or to refer to a physical bell.
Is it said differently in some regions?
鐘頭 / 钟头 is commonly used in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and most parts of Guangdong Province.
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting hours, you must use the measure word 個 (go3) between the number and 鐘頭 / 钟头, such as 一個鐘頭 (one hour).
How do you pronounce it?
zung¹ tau⁴
Did you know?
- The use of 鐘頭 is a hallmark of the colloquial Cantonese spoken in Hong Kong and Guangdong, whereas formal written Chinese usually employs the word 小時 (siu2 si4).
- If you are referring to a specific point in time, such as '3 o'clock', you should not use 鐘頭. Instead, you must switch to the word 點, which means 'dot' or 'point'.
- The word 鐘 (zung1) used in 'one hour' also means 'bell'. This linguistic connection exists because, historically, people used the striking of large bells to signal the passing of time.
Example sentences for Cantonese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hour” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
