Skip to content
BishuРусскийTrain

头 — head; hair style; the top

head; hair style; the top; end; beginning or end; a stub

Pinyin
tóu · tou
Strokes
5
HSK level
HSK 2
Handwriting
recognition only

This character has more than one reading — tóu, tou — and the pronunciation depends on the word it appears in. The list below gives the syllabus reading for each word.

How to write 头: 5 strokes

Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. The syllabus asks you to recognise this character rather than write it by hand.

头 — 5 strokes, in writing order from left to right.

Build a printable practice sheet with 头

Words with 头 in the HSK syllabus: 58

Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.

  1. 头tóusuffix for nounsHSK 2
  2. 头发tóufahairHSK 3
  3. 点头diǎntóuto nodHSK 4
  4. 馒头mántousteamed bunHSK 4
  5. 抬头táitóuto raise one's head; to look upHSK 4
  6. 头痛tóutòngto have a headacheHSK 4
  7. 低头dītóuto bow the head; to yield; to give inHSK 5
  8. 里头lǐtouinside; interiorHSK 5
  9. 木头mùtouwood; log; blockhead; doltHSK 5
  10. 石头shítoustoneHSK 5
  11. 头tousuffix for nounsHSK 5
  12. 骨头gǔtoubone; moral character; bitternessHSK 6
  13. 回头huítóuto turn round; to turn one's head; later; by and byHSK 6
  14. 街头jiētóustreetHSK 6
  15. 镜头jìngtóucamera lens; camera shot; sceneHSK 6
  16. 开头kāitóubeginning; to startHSK 6
  17. 口头kǒutóuoral; verbalHSK 6
  18. 码头mǎtóuwharf; dock; quay; pierHSK 6
  19. 舌头shétoutongueHSK 6
  20. 摄像头shèxiàngtóuwebcam; surveillance cameraHSK 6
  21. 头脑tóunǎobrains; mind; skull; gist; leader; bossHSK 6
  22. 枕头zhěntoupillowHSK 6
  23. 钟头zhōngtóuhourHSK 6
  24. 出头chūtóuto get out of a predicament; to stick outHSK 7–9
  25. 垂头丧气chuítóu-sàngqìhanging one's head dispiritedly; dejectedHSK 7–9
  26. 从头cóngtóuanew; from the startHSK 7–9
  27. 带头dàitóuto take the lead; to be the first; to set an exampleHSK 7–9
  28. 到头来dàotóuláiin the end; finally; as a resultHSK 7–9
  29. 掉头diàotóuto turn one's head; to turn round; to turn aboutHSK 7–9
  30. 个头儿gètóursize; height; statureHSK 7–9
  31. 关头guāntóujuncture; momentHSK 7–9
  32. 罐头guàntoutin; canHSK 7–9
  33. 过头guòtóuto overdo it; to overstep the limit; excessivelyHSK 7–9
  34. 交头接耳jiāotóu-jiē’ěrto whisper to one another's earHSK 7–9
  35. 尽头jìntóuend; extremity; limitHSK 7–9
  36. 劲头jìntóuenthusiasm; zeal; vigor; strengthHSK 7–9
  37. 巨头jùtóutycoon; magnate; big player; big shotHSK 7–9
  38. 口头禅kǒutóuchánZen saying repeated as cantHSK 7–9
  39. 龙头lóngtóufaucet; tap; bicycle handlebar; chief; bossHSK 7–9
  40. 埋头苦干máitóu-kǔgànto bury oneself in work; to be engrossed in workHSK 7–9

And 18 more across the higher levels — the full lists are on the level pages.

Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.