TongTong
Sign in

扭头 (niǔ tóu) — to turn one's head

Definition

扭头 means turning one's head sharply or deliberately, often to look back or away (e.g., in annoyance). Unlike 回头, it emphasizes a quick, willful head motion rather than looking back over time.

verb
to turn one's head

Examples

  • 扭头。
    Tā niǔ tóu kàn le yì yǎn chuāng wài.
    He turned his head to glance out the window.
  • ，。
    Tā shēng qì dì niǔ guò tóu qù, yí jù huà yě bù shuō.
    She angrily turned her head away and didn't say a word.
  • 扭头，？
    Nǐ niǔ tóu, wǒ néng kàn jiàn nǐ de liǎn ma?
    Turn your head — can I see your face?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

扭niǔturn
头tóuhead

扭 means to turn and 头 is the head, giving turning one's head.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
丑
丑chǒu扭niǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

扭 has 手 (hand) beside 丑. The 手 part shows that the meaning involves a hand action, and 丑 gives the sound.

Open 扭 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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