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个头 (gè tóu) — size, height (colloquial)

Definition

Colloquial noun for the physical size or height of a person or object, used in casual speech. Typically takes 大/小/高 as its complement (个头儿大) rather than a measure word.

noun
sizeheight (colloquial)

Examples

  • 个头。
    Zhè ge xī guā gè tóu zhēn dà.
    This watermelon is really big in size.
  • 个头，。
    Tā gè tóu hěn gāo de, yīng gāi yǒu yì mǐ bā.
    He is tall in stature, should be 1.8 meters.
  • 个头，。
    Zhè zhǒng píng guǒ gè tóu bǐ jiào xiǎo, dàn hěn tián.
    This kind of apple is relatively small in size, but very sweet.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 個; 个 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
固
固gù個ge
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 个, the form 個 pairs 亻 (person) with 固 as a sound part.

Open 个 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →
Appears in
Size & Dimension

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