Meaning of 开头
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- beginning
- to start
How to use 开头
开头 is most often a noun for the beginning of a story, article, film, or period of time, usually with 的 or a measure phrase like 一开头. It can also act as a verb meaning to start something off. Example: 这本书的开头很有意思。(Zhè běn shū de kāitóu hěn yǒu yìsi.) The beginning of this book is very interesting.
开 (kāi) means to open, and 头 (tóu) means head. The "head" of something that has just been "opened" is its beginning, like the first lines of a story.
Common mistake: Learners often say 开头 when they mean the general verb "to start," as in 我开头学中文, where 开始 (kāishǐ) sounds much more natural. Also note that 头 here is usually read in the light tone in speech, so it sounds like kāitou, and it should not get a strong second tone.
开头 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
开 kāi · to open · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
头 tóu · head · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 开头.
| 打开 | dǎkāi | to open; to show (a ticket) |
| 开玩笑 | kāi wánxiào | to play a joke; to make fun of; to joke |
| 开车 | kāichē | to drive a car (or train etc); (slang) to post sexual content online; to make a sexual jok |
| 开会 | kāihuì | to hold or attend a meeting |
| 离开 | líkāi | to depart; to leave |
| 开心 | kāixīn | to feel happy; to rejoice |
| 走开 | zǒukāi | to leave; to walk away; to beat it; to move aside |
| 头发 | tóufa | hair (on the head) |
| 分开 | fēnkāi | to separate; to part |
| 里头 | lǐtou | inside; interior |
| 点头 | diǎntóu | to nod |
| 开学 | kāixué | (of a student) to start school; (of a semester) to begin |
Questions about 开头
What does 开头 mean?
开头 (kāitóu) means "beginning; to start" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 开头?
开头 is made of 2 characters: 开 (4 strokes), 头 (5 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 开头 an HSK word?
Yes. 开头 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 开头 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 开头 is written 開頭.
What is the difference between 开头 and 开始?
开始 is the everyday verb and noun for "start," used for almost any action, such as 开始上课. 开头 focuses on the opening part of something with a clear structure, like a story, speech, or year. You would say 文章的开头 (the opening of an essay), but 电影开始了 (the movie has started).
How do you say "at the beginning" using 开头?
Common patterns are 一开头 (yì kāitóu) and 开头的时候 (kāitóu de shíhou), both meaning "at first" or "in the beginning." For example, 一开头我听不懂。(Yì kāitóu wǒ tīng bu dǒng.) means "At first I couldn't understand." The opposite end of a story is 结尾 (jiéwěi).