舌頭 / 舌头
shétou
The English word tongue is translated into Chinese as 舌頭 / 舌头 (shétou). If unsure, use 舌頭 / 舌头. Wiktionary also lists 舌子 (shézi).
Meaning: organ (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 舌頭 / 舌头 | shétou | ||
| 舌頭 / 舌头 | chi̍h-thâu | Hokkien | |
| 舌 | chi̍h | /t͡siʔ²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Singapore, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) /t͡siʔ⁴³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Singapore, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
| 喙舌 | chhùi-chi̍h | /t͡sʰui²¹⁻⁵⁴ t͡siʔ²³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Hui'an, Taipei, Taichung, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Yongchun) /t͡sʰui¹¹⁻⁵³ t͡siʔ⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Hui'an, Taipei, Taichung, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Yongchun) |
Hokkien |
| 舌子 | shézi | /ʂɤ³⁵ d͡z̥ɹ̩³/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /sɛ²¹ t͡sɹ̩⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
dialectal |
The word refers to the organ. In specific contexts, the term 舌苔 can be used to describe the coating on the tongue.
Is it said differently in some regions?
шәту is Dungan. The forms 舌頭 / 舌头, 舌 and 喙舌 are Hokkien.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 舌頭 / 舌头 is shétou.
Did you know?
- The ancient form of 舌 was a pictogram that looked like a snake's tongue emerging from a mouth. This visual origin explains why the character is closely linked to the word for 'snake', 蛇.
- In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the 舌苔 or 'tongue coating' is a primary diagnostic tool used by practitioners to assess a patient's internal health.
- The word 舌 can be used to refer to the 'tongue' of a shoe or a bell in technical contexts.
Examples in context
- 他说话咬舌。He bites his tongue while talking.This sentence is useful for describing someone biting their 舌 while speaking.Tatoeba #5551096 by verdastelo9604, translation #5941339 by peterius
- 女人的舌頭是她的劍。A woman's tongue is her sword.This sentence uses 舌 metaphorically.Tatoeba #4264366 by egg0073, translation #7776788 by sharris123
- 靠！我咬到自己舌头了。Ouch! I bit my tongue!This sentence is useful for expressing pain after biting one's 舌.Tatoeba #3845348 by sadhen, translation #3555061 by yosia49
- 医生叮嘱他小心不要咬伤舌头。The doctor advised him to be careful not to bite his tongue.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tongue” translations and entries 舌, 喙舌, 舌子, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 舌, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
