頭

頭 U+982D, 頭 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-982D ← 頬 [U+982C] CJK Unified Ideographs 頮 → [U+982E]

Stroke order

頭 (Kangxi radical 181, 頁+7, 16 strokes, cangjie input 一廿一月金 (MTMBC), four-corner 1118₆, composition ⿰豆頁)

• 䕱

• 头 (Simplified Chinese)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1404, character 20
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 43490
• Dae Jaweon: page 1921, character 13
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 7, page 4372, character 5
• Unihan data for U+982D

trad.		頭
simp.		头
alternative forms		䫁 𥘖

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *doː): phonetic 豆 (OC *doːs) + semantic 頁 (“head”).

Replaced earlier 首 (MC syuwX, “head”) due to homophony with 手 (ɕɨuX, “hand”) (Sagart, 1999).

Several etymologies have been proposed:

• From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tV-pu (“head”) or its allofam *du (“head”); compare Tibetan དབུ (dbu, “head”), Burmese ဦး (u:, “head”), Nuosu ꀑ (o, “head”), Proto-Loloish *ʔ-du² (“head”) (Benedict, 1972; Schuessler, 2007; STEDT; Starostin).
• Contraction of 髑髏 (OC *doːɡ roː, “skull”) (Wu, 2006).
• From Proto-Mon-Khmer *duul() (“to carry on one's head”), whence Khmer ទូល (tul); this is phonologically plausible since final consonants are often lost after a long vowel in loanwords (Schuessler, 2007).
• A variant of 豆 (OC *doːs, “a kind of vessel”), as skulls could have been used as drinking recipients; compare French tête (“head”) from Latin testa (“pot; jug”) and German Kopf (“head”) from Middle High German kopf (“drinking vessel”) (Maréchal, 1994; Sagart, 1999). However, Schuessler (2007) notes that 豆 (*doːs) seems like a tone C (去聲) derivation from 頭 (*doː), which may have originally meant “skull”.
• Baxter and Sagart (2014) reconstructs the Old Chinese with a *m- prefix for human body parts, deriving it from 兜 (*tˤo, “helmet; hood”).

頭

1. (anatomy) head (Classifier: 個／个 m c)

   我頭不再痛了。／我头不再痛了。  ―  Wǒ tóu bùzài tòng le.  ―  My head doesn't hurt any more.

   • 居喪之禮，頭有創則沐，身有瘍則浴。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     居丧之礼，头有创则沐，身有疡则浴。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Jūsāng zhī lǐ, tóu yǒu chuāng zé mù, shēn yǒu yáng zé yù. [Pinyin]

     According to the same rules, if he have a scab on his head, he should wash it; if he have a sore on his body, he should bathe it.

   • 我又要叫你和女人彼此為仇；你的後裔和女人的後裔也彼此為仇。女人的後裔要傷你的頭；你要傷他的腳跟。 [MSC, trad.]
     我又要叫你和女人彼此为仇；你的后裔和女人的后裔也彼此为仇。女人的后裔要伤你的头；你要伤他的脚跟。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 新標點和合本 (Chinese Union Version with New Punctuation), 創世記 (Genesis) 3:15

     Wǒ yòu yào jiào nǐ hé nǚrén bǐcǐ wéi chóu; nǐ de hòuyì hé nǚrén de hòuyì yě bǐcǐ wéi chóu. Nǚrén de hòuyì yào shāng nǐ de tóu; nǐ yào shāng tā de jiǎogēn. [Pinyin]

     And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

2. hair; hairstyle

   洗頭／洗头  ―  xǐtóu  ―  to wash one's hair

   把頭剃光／把头剃光  ―  bǎ tóu tì guāng  ―  to shave one's head

3. beginning or end

   從頭開始／从头开始  ―  cóng tóu kāishǐ  ―  to start from the beginning

4. top; tip; end

   山頭／山头  ―  shāntóu  ―  top of a mountain

   火柴頭／火柴头  ―  huǒchái tóu  ―  tip of a match

5. chief; boss; leader (person that leads or directs)

   工頭／工头  ―  gōngtóu  ―  foreman

   你們的頭兒是誰？ [MSC, trad.]
   你们的头儿是谁？ [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐmen de tóur shì shéi? [Pinyin]

   Who is your leader?

6. remnant; end

   布頭兒／布头儿  ―  bùtóur  ―  oddment

   煙頭／烟头  ―  yāntóu  ―  cigarette bud

7. (computing) header

   文件頭／文件头  ―  wénjiàntóu  ―  file header

   請求頭／请求头  ―  qǐngqiútóu  ―  request header

8. first; leading

   頭獎／头奖  ―  tóujiǎng  ―  first prize; biggest prize

   頭班車／头班车  ―  tóu bān chē  ―  first departure

9. (used before a classifier or a numeral) first

   頭一遍／头一遍  ―  tóu yī biàn  ―  the first time

   頭三天／头三天  ―  tóu sān tiān  ―  the first three days

   頭幾個／头几个  ―  tóu jǐge  ―  the first few

10. (Hakka, Southern Min, dated in Mainland China) station

    車頭／车头 [Hokkien]  ―  chhia-thâu [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  train station

11. side; aspect
12. (Cantonese) area; location

    嗰頭／嗰头 [Cantonese]  ―  go² tau⁴ [Jyutping]  ―  that area

    你喺邊頭返工㗎？ [Cantonese, trad.]
    你喺边头返工㗎？ [Cantonese, simp.]

    nei⁵ hai² bin¹ tau⁴ faan¹ gung¹ gaa³? [Jyutping]

    Where do you work?

13. (Cantonese) plug; connector; short for 插頭／插头

    type C頭／type C头 [Cantonese]  ―  type C tau^4-2 [Jyutping]  ―  USB Type-C connector

14. Classifier for livestock. ⇒ all nouns using this classifier

    我有兩頭豬。／我有两头猪。  ―  Wǒ yǒu liǎng tóu zhū.  ―  I have two pigs.

15. (dialectal) Classifier for other animals.
16. (Northern Min) Classifier for flowers.
17. (Cantonese) Classifier for number of pieces of dried seafood (e.g. abalones) in one catty.
18. (Cantonese) Classifier for number of abalones in one can.

• (chief):

頭

1. Suffix that forms nouns.
   1. Added to a noun.

      罐頭／罐头  ―  guàntou  ―  can; tin

      石頭／石头  ―  shítou  ―  rock

   2. Added to a locative word.

      裡頭／里头  ―  lǐtou  ―  inside

      前頭／前头  ―  qiántou  ―  front

   3. Added to a verb to form an abstract noun.

      念頭／念头  ―  niàntou  ―  thought; idea

      电影的看頭兒／电影的看头儿  ―  diànyǐngr de kàntour  ―  thing(s) to watch in a movie

      活頭兒／活头儿  ―  huótour  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   4. Added to an adjective to form an abstract noun.

      甜頭／甜头  ―  tiántou  ―  sweet taste; benefit

Others:

• →? Proto-Tai: *truǝᴬ (“head”)
  • Ahom: 𑜑𑜥 (hū), 𑜍𑜥 (rū), 𑜍𑜤𑜈𑜫 (ruw)
  • Lao: ຫົວ (hūa)
  • Lü: ᦷᦠ (ḣo)
  • Northern Thai: ᩉ᩠ᩅᩫ
  • Shan: ႁူဝ် (hǒ)
  • Tai Dam: ꪬꪺ
  • Thai: หัว (hǔua)
  • Zhuang: hu
• → Proto-Tai:
  • Ahom: 𑜄𑜥 (tū), 𑜄𑜤 (tu)
  • Bouyei: duez
  • Lao: ໂຕ (tō), ຕົວ (tūa)
  • Lü: ᦷᦎ (ṫo)
  • Northern Thai: ᨲᩫ᩠ᩅ
  • Saek: ทั๊ว
  • Shan: တူဝ် (tǒ)
  • Tai Dam: ꪶꪔ
  • Thai: ตัว (dtuua)
  • Zhuang: duz

• “頭”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[12], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A04555

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

1. head
2. counter for large animals

• Go-on: ず (zu, Jōyō)^{←づ (du, historical)}
• Kan-on: とう (tō, Jōyō)^{←とう (tou, historical)}
• Tō-on: じゅう (jū)^{←ぢゆう (dyuu, historical)}
• Kan’yō-on: と (to, Jōyō ^†)
• Kun: あたま (atama, 頭, Jōyō)、かしら (kashira, 頭, Jōyō)、かぶり (kaburi, 頭)、こうべ (kōbe, 頭)^{←かうべ (kaube, 頭, historical)}、かみ (kami, 頭)、ほとり (hotori, 頭)
• Nanori: かぶ (kabu)、かぶし (kabushi)、かみ (kami)、ちゃん (chan)、つぶり (tsuburi)、つむ (tsumu)、つむり (tsumuri)、づ (zu)、どたま (dotama)

Kanji in this term
頭
あたま Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Probably from Old Japanese. First cited in the ten-volume Wamyō Ruijushō of 934 CE.^[1]

Unknown derivation. Theories include:

• Compound of 天玉 (a tama, literally “heaven, sky + ball”). This is problematic phonetically, as 天 appears historically as ama or ame, not as just a
• Compound of 当て間 (ate ma, literally “putting something in contact + space, gap”), referring to the head as a moxibustion point. This is also problematic phonetically, as the shift from ate to ata necessitates a change in meaning of the underlying verb. This is also problematic semantically, as the 間 (ma) term refers more specifically to a gap or space.
• Compound of 貴間 (ate ma, literally “noble + space”), referring to the most important part of the body. However, the use of 間 (ma) in this way is again problematic. Moreover, 貴 (ate, “noble”) appears in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter dating to the 900s CE, while 頭 (atama) with a sense of fontanelle appears in the Wamyō Ruijushō dated 938 CE, leaving insufficient time for either the semantic or phonetic drift required.^[1][2]

Historically, this term first appears with a sense of fontanelle, in reference to the soft place on the top of an infant's head where the bones of the skull have not yet fused. As such, a more likely derivation might be as a compound of 当た (ata, “not quite touching, not quite in contact”, possibly a fossilized 未然形 (mizenkei, “incomplete form”) of classical verb 当つ (atsu), root of modern 当たる (ataru, “to touch, to come into contact”)) +‎ 間 (ma, “space, gap, opening”).

• (Tokyo) あたま [àtámáꜜ] (Odaka – [3])^[2][4][3]
• (Tokyo) あたま [àtáꜜmà] (Nakadaka – [2])^[2][4]
• IPA^(key): [a̠ta̠ma̠]

• (Kyoto) あ​たま [áꜜtàmà] (Kōki)^[3]

頭(あたま) • (atama) 

1. head (body part)

   Synonym: (dialectal, Kagoshima) びんた

   頭(あたま)が痛(いた)い。

   Atama ga itai.

   My head hurts.

2. (anatomy, archaic, possibly obsolete) the fontanelle part of the skull

• Etymology entry for 頭 (atama) at Gogen-Yurai Jiten (Etymology and Origin Dictionary; in Japanese): http://gogen-allguide.com/a/atama.html
• Etymology entry for 頭 (atama) at Key: Zatsugaku Jiten (Key: Dictionary of Miscellaneous Knowledge; in Japanese): http://www.7key.jp/data/language/etymology/a/atama.html#etymology

Kanji in this term
頭
かしら Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
首

From Old Japanese.^[1] Found as a standalone noun in the Man'yōshū, completed some time after 759 CE, and as a counter in the Kojiki, dating to 712 CE.

(as a noun):

• (Tokyo) かしら [kàshíráꜜ] (Odaka – [3])^[2][4][5]
• IPA^(key): [ka̠ɕiɾa̠]

• (Kyoto) か​しら [káꜜshìrà] (Kōki)^[5]

頭(かしら) • (-kashira) 

1. a head, as when counting people, or cattle or other livestock

頭(かしら) • (kashira) 

1. the head as a whole
2. boss, leader
3. top part of a Chinese character
4. 頭, 首: the head of a doll

Kanji in this term
頭
かぶり Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Cognate with and shift in meaning from かぶり (kaburi, “covering; hat, crown”), spelled in kanji as 被り or 冠.

• (Tokyo) かぶり [kàbúrí] (Heiban – [0])^[2][4]
• (Tokyo) かぶり [kàbúríꜜ] (Odaka – [3])^[2][4][6]
• (Tokyo) かぶり [káꜜbùrì] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2][4][6]
• IPA^(key): [ka̠bɯ̟ɾʲi]

• (Kyoto) かぶり [kábúrí] (Kōki – [0])^[6]

頭(かぶり) • (kaburi) 

1. head

Kanji in this term
頭
かぶ Grade: 2
irregular

From Old Japanese; first attested in the Kojiki (712), with the spelling 加夫,^[7] in spite that the Nihon Kokugo Daijiten lists the first attestation as from the late Muromachi period.^[8]

Cognate with 株(かぶ) (kabu, “stump; root”), from a general sense of lump.^[7][1]

• IPA^(key): [ka̠bɯ̟]

頭(かぶ) • (kabu) 

1. (obsolete or Yamagata) head

Kanji in this term
頭
つぶり Grade: 2
irregular

Cognate with 粒 (tsubu, “round thing”, such as a grain), 禿ぶ (tsubu, “to go bald”, from the idea of one's head becoming round), 円ら (tsubura, “round”, adjective), 潰れる (tsubureru, “to become rounded, as from wear and tear, or from crushing”).^[1]

Some sources^[2] derive this as a shift from 円ら (tsubura, “round”, adjective). However, the phonology and semantics for this do not fit (changing /a/ to /i/, and repurposing the adjectivizing suffix ら to instead form a noun). The modern verb tsubureru had the form tsuburu in older stages of the language. The tsuburi reading for 頭 may more likely represent a nominalization derived from this older verb, following normal patterns for creating nouns from verbs.

Compare Okinawan ちぶる (chiburu, “head”).

• (Tokyo) つぶり [tsùbúríꜜ] (Odaka – [3])^[9]
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɨbɯ̟ɾʲi]

頭(つぶり) • (tsuburi) 

1. head

Kanji in this term
頭
つむり Grade: 2
irregular

From tsuburi above. Bilabial plosive /b/ becomes bilabial nasal /m/.

• (Tokyo) つむり [tsùmúríꜜ] (Odaka – [3])^[2][4][10]
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɨmɯ̟ɾʲi]

• (Kyoto) つむり [tsúmúrí] (Kōki – [0])^[10]

頭(つむり) • (tsumuri) 

1. head
2. hair of the head

Kanji in this term
頭
つむ Grade: 2
irregular

Shortened from tsumuri above.^[1]

• IPA^(key): [t͡sɨmɯ̟]

頭(つむ) • (tsumu) 

1. head

Kanji in this term
頭
こうべ Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
首

*/kamipe/ → */kampe/ → /kaube/ → /kɔːbe/ → /koːbe/

Compound of either 上 (kami, “upper”) or 髪 (kami, “hair”) (likely cognates), with either 部 (be, “part, portion”) or 辺・方 (pe, “area; direction”).^[11][2][12]

Listed in one resource as possibly an alteration from 頭 (kabu, “head”) + 上 (upe, “up”, Old Japanese reading).^[1]

This reading is listed in some sources as attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720.^[11] However, this is based on traditional ruby glosses of the ideogrammatic spelling, and the glosses are from younger manuscripts.

• (Tokyo) こーべ [kòóbé] (Heiban – [0])^[2][4][11]
• (Tokyo) こーべ [kòóbéꜜ] (Odaka – [3])^[2][4][11]
• (Tokyo) こーべ [kóꜜòbè] (Atamadaka – [1])^[4][11]
• IPA^(key): [ko̞ːbe̞]

• (Kyoto) こ​ーべ [kóꜜòbè] (Kōki)^[11]

頭(こうべ) • (kōbe) ^{←かうべ (kaube)?}

1. head
   • 2021 September 10, Eve, “遊生夢死 [Live Playing, Die Dreaming]”:

     遊(ゆう)生(せい)夢(ぼう)死(し)
     才能ない脳内 唱えよシスターズ
     首(こうべ)を垂れることしかないの

     Yūsei bōshi
     Sainō nai nōnai tonaeyo shisutāzu
     Kōbe o tareru koto shika nai no

     Live playing, die dreaming
     Chant inside my talentless brain, sisters
     All I can do is bow down

Kanji in this term
頭
どたま Grade: 2
irregular

Contraction of ど (do-, “super-”, often used ironically as a derogatory prefix) +‎ 頭 (atama, “head”).^[13]

• (Tokyo) どたま [dòtámáꜜ] (Odaka – [3])^[2][13]
• IPA^(key): [do̞ta̠ma̠]

頭(どたま) • (dotama) 

1. (derogatory) head

Often spelled in hiragana, as どたま.

Kanji in this term
頭
ず Grade: 2
goon

/du/ → /d͡zu/ → /zu/

From Middle Chinese 頭 (MC duw). The goon reading, so likely an earlier borrowing.

• (Tokyo) ず [zù] (Heiban – [0])^[2][4][14]
• IPA^(key): [d͡zɨ]

• (Kyoto) ずー [zúú] (Kōki – [0])^[14]

頭(ず) • (zu) ^{←づ (du)?}

1. head

This reading is more often found in compounds, such as 頭痛 (zutsū, “a headache”).

Kanji in this term
頭
とう Grade: 2
kan'on

From Middle Chinese 頭 (MC duw). The kan'on reading, so likely a later borrowing. The shift from initial /d/ to voiceless /t/ is due to influence or reborrowing from a later stage of the Chinese language. Compare modern Mandarin reading tóu, Cantonese tau⁴, Min Nan tao⁵.

(as a noun):

• (Tokyo) とー [tóꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])^[15]
• IPA^(key): [to̞ː]

• (Kyoto) と​ー [tóꜜò] (Kōki)^[15]

頭(とう) • (-tō) 

1. counter for certain relatively large animals, or for livestock animals; "head"

   合(あ)わせて 1300(せんさんびゃく) 頭(とう)余(あま)りが出(しゅっ)荷(か)され、全(ぜん)国(こく)各(かく)地(ち)に流(りゅう)通(つう)した。

   Awasete sensanbyaku tō amari ga shukka sare, zenkoku kakuchi ni ryūtsū shita.

   Altogether over 1300 head of cattle have been distributed throughout the country.

   三(さん)頭(とう)の北(ホッ)極(キョク)熊(グマ)

   santō no Hokkyokuguma

   three polar bears

   一(いっ)頭(とう)の羊(ヒツジ)

   ittō no hitsuji

   one sheep

2. counter for insects (used only in biology)

頭(とう) • (tō) 

1. head

From Middle Chinese 頭 (MC duw).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [tu]
• Phonetic hangul: [두]

Wikisource

頭 (eumhun 머리 두 (meori du))

1. Hanja form^? of 두 (“head”).

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [13]

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

Cognate with mainland Japanese 頭 (tsuburi), dialectal 頭 (tsuburo), itself probably a compound of 粒 (tsubu, “round thing, such as a grain”) + ろ (ro, suffix indicating a state or condition).

頭(つぃぶる) (cïburu) 

1. head

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

Cognate with mainland Japanese 頭 (tsuburi), dialectal 頭 (tsuburo), itself probably a compound of 粒 (tsubu, “round thing, such as a grain”) + ろ (ro, suffix indicating a state or condition).

頭(ちぶる) (chiburu) 

1. head
2. an intelligent person

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

Cognate with mainland Japanese 頭 (tsuburi), dialectal 頭 (tsuburo), itself probably a compound of 粒 (tsubu, “round thing, such as a grain”) + ろ (ro, suffix indicating a state or condition).

頭(ちぶる) (chiburu) 

1. head
2. an intelligent person

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

Cognate with mainland Japanese 頭 (tsuburi), dialectal 頭 (tsuburo), itself probably a compound of 粒 (tsubu, “round thing, such as a grain”) + ろ (ro, suffix indicating a state or condition).

頭(つぃぶる) (cïburu) 

1. head

頭: Hán Nôm readings: đầu

1. (anatomy) a head

   Synonym: trốc

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

Cognate with mainland Japanese 頭 (tsuburi), dialectal 頭 (tsuburo), itself probably a compound of 粒 (tsubu, “round thing, such as a grain”) + ろ (ro, suffix indicating a state or condition).

頭(つぶり) or 頭(つぃぶる) or 頭(つぃぶるぃ) (tsuburi or tsïburu or tsïburwi) 

1. head

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

Cognate with mainland Japanese 頭 (tsuburi), dialectal 頭 (tsuburo), itself probably a compound of 粒 (tsubu, “round thing, such as a grain”) + ろ (ro, suffix indicating a state or condition).

頭(ちぶる) (chiburu) 

1. head
2. an intelligent person