Meaning of 里头
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- inside; interior
How to use 里头
里头 is a casual, spoken way to say "inside," often placed after a noun or used on its own. It means the same as 里边 (lǐbian) and 里面 (lǐmiàn). Example: 箱子里头有什么？(Xiāngzi lǐtou yǒu shénme?) What is inside the box?
里 (lǐ) means inside, and 头 (tou) here is just a suffix that turns a position word into a place noun, like 上头 (shàngtou) for on top. So 里头 is simply "the inside part."
Common mistake: Learners often say 头 with a full second tone (tóu), but in 里头 it is neutral: lǐtou. Also, 头 here has nothing to do with the head, so do not connect it to 头发 (tóufa).
里头 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.
里 lǐ · lining · 7 strokes
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头 tóu · head · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 里头.
Questions about 里头
What does 里头 mean?
里头 (lǐtou) means "inside; interior" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 里头?
里头 is made of 2 characters: 里 (7 strokes), 头 (5 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 里头 an HSK word?
Yes. 里头 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 里头 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 里头 is written 裡頭.
What is the difference between 里头, 里边 and 里面?
They all mean inside and are usually interchangeable. 里头 sounds the most colloquial and is common in northern speech, while 里面 is the most neutral and works well in writing.
Can I use 里头 alone without a noun before it?
Yes. You can say 里头很暖和 (lǐtou hěn nuǎnhuo), "It is warm inside." The single character 里 usually needs a noun before it, like 家里, but 里头 can stand alone as a place word.