頭 meaning and stroke order
Head; chief, boss; first, top
How to write 頭, stroke by stroke
16 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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Meaning of 頭
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- head
- hair style
- the top
- end
- beginning or end
- a stub
- suffix for nouns
How 頭 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Head.
頁 gives the meaning and 豆 hints at the sound.
Radical: 頁 (page), shared by 45 characters on this site.
How to remember 頭
頭 is built from 豆 (dòu) on the left, which gives the sound, and 頁 (yè) on the right, which is a picture of a head and gives the meaning. Picture a round bean 豆 sitting on top of a body, and you have a head.
The simplified form 头 (tóu) is used in mainland China, while 頭 appears in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Besides meaning head, it often appears with a neutral tone as a noun suffix, as in 石头 (shítou) stone or 里头 (lǐtou) inside. Example: 他点了点头。(Tā diǎn le diǎn tóu.) He nodded.
Common mistake: Learners often say tóu with a full second tone in words like 石头 (shítou) and 木头 (mùtou), where it should be light and neutral. Keep the full tóu for the meaning head, as in 头发 (tóufa).
Common words with 頭
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 頭髮 | tóufa | hair (on the head) | HSK 2 |
| 裡頭 | lǐtou | inside; interior | HSK 2 |
| 點頭 | diǎntóu | to nod | HSK 2 |
| 石頭 | shítou | stone | HSK 3 |
| 頭腦 | tóunǎo | brains; mind | HSK 3 |
| 木頭 | mùtou | wood; log (CL:塊|块[kuai4],根[gen1]); (fig.) blockhead; dolt | HSK 3 |
| 老頭兒 | lǎotóur | see 老頭子|老头子[lao3 tou2 zi5] | HSK 3 |
| 鏡頭 | jìngtóu | camera lens; camera shot (in a movie etc) | HSK 4 |
| 骨頭 | gǔtou | bone; moral character | HSK 4 |
| 後頭 | hòutou | behind; the back | HSK 4 |
| 前頭 | qiántou | in front; at the head | HSK 4 |
| 回頭 | huítóu | to turn round; to turn one's head; later; by and by | HSK 5 |
| 碼頭 | mǎtóu | wharf; dock; quay; pier | HSK 5 |
| 抬頭 | táitóu | to raise one's head; to look up; (fig.) to begin to emerge; to show signs of growth | HSK 5 |
Questions about 頭
How many strokes are in 頭?
頭 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 頭 mean?
頭 (tóu) means head; chief, boss; first, top. A common word with it is 头发 (tóufa), meaning "hair (on the head)".
How do you pronounce 頭?
頭 is pronounced tóu, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 頭?
The radical of 頭 is 頁, which carries the idea of "page". Dictionaries list 頭 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 頭?
頭 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 头, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do I tell when 頭 means head and when it is just a suffix?
If it is stressed and carries the second tone, it usually means head, top, or first, as in 头脑 (tóunǎo) brains. If it is unstressed after another syllable, like 里头 (lǐtou), it is usually just a noun suffix with little meaning of its own.
Can 頭 be used to mean first or boss?
Yes. Before numbers or time words it can mean first, as in 头一次 (tóu yí cì) the first time. In casual speech 头儿 (tóur) can mean the boss or leader.