Meaning of 骨头
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- bone
- moral character
- bitterness
- Taiwan pr. [gu2 tou5]
Measure word: 根,塊|块
How to use 骨头
骨头 is the everyday word for a bone, in people, animals, or food. It can also describe someone's character, as in 硬骨头 (yìng gǔtou), a tough, unyielding person. Example: 狗喜欢啃骨头。(Gǒu xǐhuan kěn gǔtou.) Dogs like to gnaw on bones.
骨 (gǔ) means bone, and 头 (tou) here is a noun suffix with a neutral tone, just like in 石头 (shítou, stone) and 木头 (mùtou, wood). Think of 骨头 as "the bone thing", a hard object like stone and wood.
Common mistake: Learners often stress 头 with a full second tone (tóu). In mainland Mandarin it is neutral, gǔtou, though Taiwan speakers say gǔtóu. Also avoid using 骨头 for "skeleton" as a whole. That is usually 骨骼 (gǔgé) or 骨架 (gǔjià).
骨头 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.
骨 gǔ · bone · 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 骨头.
| 头发 | tóufa | hair (on the head) |
| 里头 | lǐtou | inside; interior |
| 点头 | diǎntóu | to nod |
| 石头 | shítou | stone |
| 头脑 | tóunǎo | brains; mind |
| 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) |
| 后头 | hòutou | behind; the back |
| 前头 | qiántou | in front; at the head |
| 回头 | huítóu | to turn round; to turn one's head; later; by and by |
| 码头 | mǎtóu | wharf; dock; quay; pier |
Questions about 骨头
What does 骨头 mean?
骨头 (gǔtou) means "bone; moral character" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 骨头?
骨头 is made of 2 characters: 骨 (9 strokes), 头 (5 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 骨头 an HSK word?
Yes. 骨头 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 骨头 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 骨头 is written 骨頭.
What measure word is used with 骨头?
The common measure words are 根 (gēn) for a long bone and 块 (kuài) for a piece of bone. For example, 一根骨头 (yì gēn gǔtou), one bone.
What does 骨头 mean when talking about a person's character?
It can refer to someone's backbone or moral strength. Phrases like 硬骨头 (a tough, principled person) and 软骨头 (ruǎn gǔtou, a spineless person) use this figurative sense.