Meaning of 前头
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- in front
- at the head
- ahead
- above
How to use 前头
前头 is a spoken word for place, meaning in front or ahead, and it often follows a noun or comes after 在. It can also refer to something mentioned earlier, like above in a text. Example: 车站就在前头。(Chēzhàn jiù zài qiántou.) The station is just ahead.
前 (qián) means front and 头 (tóu) means head, so 前头 is the head end of something, the part that comes first. Picture the head of a line of people: whoever is at the head is 前头.
Common mistake: Learners often say the second syllable with a full second tone as qiántóu, but in this word 头 is usually neutral tone: qiántou. Also, do not put 前头 before a noun the way English uses in front of; say 房子前头 (fángzi qiántou), not 前头房子.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
前 qián · front · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
头 tóu · head · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 前头.
| 前天 | qiántiān | the day before yesterday |
| 前边 | qiánbian | front; the front side |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; formerly |
| 面前 | miànqián | in front of; facing |
| 头发 | tóufa | hair (on the head) |
| 里头 | lǐtou | inside; interior |
| 点头 | diǎntóu | to nod |
| 前年 | qiánnián | the year before last |
| 目前 | mùqián | at the present time; currently |
| 前面 | qiánmiàn | ahead; in front |
| 石头 | shítou | stone |
| 前进 | qiánjìn | to go forward; to forge ahead |
Questions about 前头
What does 前头 mean?
前头 (qiántou) means "in front; at the head" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 前头?
前头 is made of 2 characters: 前 (9 strokes), 头 (5 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 前头 an HSK word?
Yes. 前头 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 前头 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 前头 is written 前頭.
What is the difference between 前头 and 前边?
They mean almost the same thing and are often interchangeable. 前头 sounds a bit more colloquial and is common in northern speech, while 前边 and 前面 (qiánmian) are more neutral.
Can 前头 talk about time as well as place?
Yes, it can mean ahead in time or earlier, as in 困难还在前头 (kùnnan hái zài qiántou), the hard part is still ahead. It can also mean earlier in a text, as in 前头说过 (qiántou shuō guo), as mentioned above.