ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

head / top / chief

tóu
5 strokes · 大 + 两点 — simplified from 頭 · HSK 1

Where 头 comes from

头 (traditional 頭) paired 豆 (a sound) with 页 (which itself pictures a head on a body). The simplified 头 is a quick everyday form — think of 大 (big) with two dots, the 'big top' of the body.

头 in Chinese culture

头 is the head, and by extension the top or chief of things: 回头 (turn one's head / later on, with 回), 头发 (hair, 'head-hair'), 前头/后头 (front/back, with 前/后). As 'chief': 头儿 (the boss). It's also a common noun-suffix that makes things concrete and rounded: 木头 (wood — you learned this!), 石头 (stone), 馒头 (steamed bun) — in this use it's toneless (tou). From the top of your body to the head of a group, 头 sits on top.

Example

回头 huítóu — turn around / later

我头很大。
Wǒ tóu hěn dà.
My head is big. / (idiom) I'm overwhelmed.

How to remember it

The 'big top' of the body — the HEAD.

头 is also a toneless suffix making nouns concrete: 木头 (wood — you know it!), 石头 (stone), 馒头 (steamed bun). 头大 ('head big') means feeling overwhelmed.

Same sound, different tones

1st tōu
to steal
2nd tóu
head
4th tòu
to penetrate

Words unlocked by 头

回头 huítóu
turn around / later
木头 mùtou
wood
LEARN 头 WITH STROKE-BY-STROKE WRITING → DOWNLOAD ZHIZHI
One character a morning · 169-character HSK library · iOS