Definitions

tóu (noun) head
tóu (noun) top; tip; end
tóu (noun) chief; boss; leader
tóu (noun) beginning; start
tou (particle) suffix used after some nouns

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. The simplified character was adapted from the cursive form of the traditional character .

Semantic:

About

The character for 'head' in Chinese, traditionally written as '頭', originates from a composite structure where the radical '頁', indicating matters pertaining to the head or face, is paired with the component '豆' functioning as a phonetic clue. This traditional configuration gradually evolved through informal handwriting practices, resulting in the simplified form '头' that captures the essential idea with fewer strokes. Throughout its history, the character has maintained its fundamental reference to the anatomical head while also developing derived meanings such as the start of something, the uppermost part, or a person in charge, demonstrating how its semantic range broadened from literal to figurative applications within the language.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Wu (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的很疼。

Wǒ de tóu hěn téng.

My head hurts.

她有一长发。

Tā yǒu yī tóu cháng fà.

She has long hair.

这块石很重。

Zhè kuài shítou hěn zhòng.

This stone is heavy.

我们从开始。

Wǒmen cóng tóu kāishǐ.

We start from the beginning.

他摇了摇

Tā yáo le yáo tóu.

He shook his head.

这个问题很疼。

Zhège wèntí hěn tóuténg.

This problem is a headache.

他站在队伍前

Tā zhàn zài duìwu qiántou.

He stands at the front of the line.

事情的开很重要。

Shìqing de kāitóu hěn zhòngyào.

The beginning of the matter is important.