头 (tou) — (suffix) noun-forming suffix, often for everyday objects or items

As a noun-forming suffix, 头 turns a noun into a thing or item (e.g. 骨␧ bone + 头 → 骨头, 罐头). Different from 脑袋, which only means 'head (body part).'

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.

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