Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 脖子 | bózi | /pu̯ɔ³⁵ d͡z̥ɹ̩³/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /pə²⁴ t͡sɹ̩⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Dungan, Sinological IPA) |
informal |
| 頸 / 颈 | jǐng | formal | |
| 頸項 / 颈项 | jǐngxiàng | formal | |
| 頷 / 颔 | ām | Hokkien | |
| 頷頸 / 颔颈 | ām-kún, ām-kńg | Hokkien | |
| 頷仔頸 / 颔仔颈 | ām-á-kún, ām-á-kńg | Hokkien | |
| 頷頸仔 / 颔颈仔 | ām-kún-á, ām-kńg-á | Hokkien | |
| 頷胿 / 颔胿 | ām-kui | Hokkien | |
| 頷頸胿 / 颔颈胿 | ām-kún-kui, ām-kńg-kui | Hokkien | |
| 脰項 / 脰项 | tāu-hāng | Hokkien |
The term refers to the part of the body that connects the head and the trunk.
What does it mean word for word?
The formal term 颈项 is a compound where 颈 refers to the neck and 项 refers to the back of the neck or the nape.
Which one should you use?
While 脖子 is the most common, colloquial way to say 'neck' in spoken Mandarin, 颈 is a more formal or anatomical term. The term 颈部 is a more formal term for neck or cervical region used in medical or anatomical discussions.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
脖子 is the informal, most common way to express the word in daily speech. In contrast, 颈 and 颈项 are formal options and 颈部 is used in medical or professional contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien, several forms are used: 頷 / 颔 (ām), 頷頸 / 颔颈 (ām-kún, ām-kńg), 頷仔頸 / 颔仔颈 (ām-á-kún, ām-á-kńg), 頷頸仔 / 颔颈仔 (ām-kún-á, ām-kńg-á), 頷胿 / 颔胿 (ām-kui) and 頷頸胿 / 颔颈胿 (ām-kún-kui, ām-kńg-kui). Additionally, 脰項 / 脰项 (tāu-hāng) is used in Hokkien.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun 脖子 can function as either the subject or the object in a sentence, for example, in 'My neck hurts' (我的脖子疼).
How do you pronounce it?
bózi (IPA: /pu̯ɔ³⁵ dz̥ɹ̩³/)
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese medicine, certain points on the 颈项 are treated to resolve issues that have nothing to do with the neck, such as digestive problems.
- The character 含 within the word 頷 means 'to hold in the mouth', implying the neck or chin is something that 'holds' or supports the mouth.
- The character for neck 颈 contains the 'meat' radical 月, which is a common feature in many Chinese words for body parts.
Examples in context
- 他的脖子很長。He has a long neck.This sentence uses 脖子 to describe a physical attribute.Tatoeba #4490372 by egg0073, translation #2266329 by _undertoad
- 我的脖子还疼。My neck still hurts.This sentence uses 脖子 to express physical discomfort.Tatoeba #5631912 by verdastelo9604, translation #3436690 by CK
- 马倒下时脖子断了。The horse broke its neck when it fell.This sentence uses 脖子 to describe an injury to an animal.Tatoeba #10693366 by bmeecgkan, translation #44518 by CK
- 他摔倒后脖子受伤了。(Tā shuāi dǎo hòu bózi shòushāngle.)His neck got injured after the fall.
- 医生建议她要保持颈部的正确姿势。(Yīshēng jiànyì tā yào bǎochí jǐngbù de zhèngquè zīshì.)The doctor advised her to maintain the correct posture of her neck.
- 看，他戴着一条红色的围巾，裹住了脖子。(Kàn, tā dài zhe yī tiáo hóngsè de wéijīn, guǒzhùle bózi.)Look, he's wearing a red scarf around his neck.
- 他受了寒风吹，脖子感觉有些不舒服。(Tā shòu le hánfēng chuī, bózi gǎnjué yǒuxiē bù shūfu.)He caught a cold wind and his neck feels a bit uncomfortable.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man is telling a woman about a minor injury from the gym.
- 梓涵 Zihan你看起来很不舒服，怎么了？Nǐ kàn qǐlái hěn bù shūfu, zěnme le?You look uncomfortable, what's wrong?
- 伟 Wei昨天运动后，我的脖子很疼。Zuótiān yùndòng hòu, wǒ de bózi hěn téng.My neck hurts a lot after exercising yesterday.
- 梓涵 Zihan是不是练得太累了？Shì bú shì liàn de tài lèi le?Is it because you trained too hard?
- 伟 Wei可能是吧，我需要休息一下。Kěnéng shì ba, wǒ xūyào xiūxi yíxià.Maybe, I need to rest for a bit.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “neck” translations and entries 脖子, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 頷, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
