TongTong
Sign in

头盔 (tóu kuī) — helmet

Definition

noun
helmet
Measure word · 顶

Examples

  • 头盔。
    Qí mó tuō chē shí yí dìng yào dài tóu kuī.
    You must wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle.
  • 头盔。
    Gōng dì shàng suǒ yǒu gōng rén dōu bì xū dài tóu kuī.
    All workers on the construction site must wear helmets.
  • 头盔，。
    Zhè ge tóu kuī hěn qīng, dài zhe hěn shū fu.
    This helmet is very light and comfortable to wear.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

头tóuhead
盔kuīhelmet

头 marks the head, and 盔 is the protective covering.

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 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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 盔 →
Appears in
Footwear & Accessories

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.