The word 年头 is formed through a direct and vivid conceptual combination: it takes the character for 年 (nián), meaning "year", and attaches it to 头 (tóu), which literally means "head" but is used metaphorically to denote the "beginning" or "start" of something. By fusing these two ideas, the compound visually and notionally represents the "head of the year", naturally pointing to its meaning as the year's commencement or start.