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JLPT N116画 · 16 strokesradical 頁grade 2freq #433

head, counter for large animals

On'yomi (音読み)

  • トウ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • あたま
  • かしら
  • -がしら
  • かぶり

Mnemonic

Imagine a giant head made of paper (頁) counting large animals as they parade past, showcasing how it reigns above all in the animal kingdom.

About this kanji

The kanji "頭" primarily means "head" and is often used in both nouns and some verbs. A few common compounds include "会頭" (かいとう), which means "society president"; "街頭" (がいとう), referring to "street"; and "頭取" (とうどり), which means "bank president." This kanji can also be used to refer to large animals when counting them, although this usage is less common in everyday conversation. When using this kanji, keep in mind that it can represent not just the physical head, but also concepts related to leadership and prominence.

Example sentences

  • 彼は頭が良い。

    He is smart.

Meanings across languages

English
head, counter for large animals
Tiếng Việt
đầu, đếm động vật lớn
日本語
頭, 大型動物の数量詞
한국어
머리, 대형동물의 단위
中文
头, 大型动物的计数词
id
kepala, penghitung hewan besar
th
หัว, นับสำหรับสัตว์ใหญ่
es
cabeza, contador de animales grandes
fr
tête, compteur pour grands animaux
de
Kopf, Zähler für große Tiere
pt
cabeça, contador de animais grandes

Common compounds

  • 会頭かいとうsociety president
  • 街頭がいとう(on the) street
  • 店頭てんとうshopfront, storefront, shopwindow
  • 頭取とうどり(bank) president, greenroom manager (in a theater)
  • 念頭ねんとう(on one's) mind, heed
  • 筆頭ひっとうbrush tip, first on a list, head
  • 冒頭ぼうとうbeginning, opening, start
  • 先頭せんとうhead (of a line, group, etc.), front, lead

Want to actually learn this kanji?

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