Meaning of 石头
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- stone
Measure word: 塊|块
How to use 石头
石头 is the common spoken word for a stone or rock of any size, and it often takes the measure word 块 (kuài). Example: 地上有一块石头。(Dì shang yǒu yí kuài shítou.) There is a stone on the ground.
石 (shí) looks like a rock 口 lying under a cliff edge 厂, so it means stone. Add the noun suffix 头 (tou) and you get the everyday word 石头, just like 木头 (mùtou) wood.
Common mistake: Learners often say the second syllable as tóu with a full second tone. In 石头 the 头 is neutral tone, so say shítou, the same as in 木头 (mùtou) and 里头 (lǐtou).
石头 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.
石 shí · stone · 5 strokes
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头 tóu · head · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 石头.
| 头发 | tóufa | hair (on the head) |
| 里头 | lǐtou | inside; interior |
| 点头 | diǎntóu | to nod |
| 头脑 | tóunǎo | brains; mind |
| 石油 | shíyóu | oil; petroleum |
| 木头 | mùtou | wood; log (CL:塊|块[kuai4],根[gen1]); (fig.) blockhead; dolt |
| 老头儿 | lǎotóur | see 老頭子|老头子[lao3 tou2 zi5] |
| 镜头 | jìngtóu | camera lens; camera shot (in a movie etc) |
| 骨头 | gǔtou | bone; moral character |
| 宝石 | bǎoshí | precious stone; gem |
| 后头 | hòutou | behind; the back |
| 前头 | qiántou | in front; at the head |
Questions about 石头
What does 石头 mean?
石头 (shítou) means "stone" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 石头?
石头 is made of 2 characters: 石 (5 strokes), 头 (5 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 石头 an HSK word?
Yes. 石头 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 石头 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 石头 is written 石頭.
What is the difference between 石头 and 石?
石 (shí) is the root character and mostly appears inside compounds like 石油 (shíyóu) petroleum. On its own in speech, people say 石头 when they mean a stone.
Does 石头 have any figurative meaning?
The dictionary data here only gives the meaning stone. Note that the related word 木头 (mùtou) can also mean blockhead, but that figurative sense is listed for 木头, not for 石头.