膊頭 / 膊头
bok³ tau⁴
In Cantonese, shoulder is 膊頭 / 膊头 (bok³ tau⁴).
The term refers to the joint between the arm and the torso.
Meaning: joint between arm and torso (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 膊頭 is composed of 膊, meaning arm or shoulder and 頭, meaning head.
Which one should you use?
The words 肩膀 and 肩頭 are also used to mean shoulder.
How do you pronounce it?
bok³ tau⁴
Did you know?
- If you want to describe a person as dependable or a leader, you might comment on the size of their 膊頭. In Cantonese culture, 'wide shoulders' is a metaphor for being a person who can carry heavy social or familial responsibilities.
- When talking about 'shrugging' in Cantonese, speakers don't usually use a single verb but describe the movement of the 膊頭 lifting up.
- In Cantonese, many body part names are formed by appending the character 頭 to the base word, making the 'head' a grammatical component of various anatomical terms.
Examples in context
- 我個肩膀痛緊。My shoulder hurts.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shoulder” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
