TongTong
Sign in

核弹头 (hé dàn tóu) — nuclear warhead

Definition

noun
nuclear warhead
Measure word · 枚

Examples

  • 核弹头。
    Yì méi hé dàn tóu kě yǐ cuī huǐ zhěng zuò chéng shì.
    A single nuclear warhead can destroy an entire city.
  • 核弹头。
    Zhè liǎng gè guó jiā dōu yōng yǒu dà liàng hé dàn tóu.
    Both of these countries possess a large number of nuclear warheads.
  • 核弹头。
    Guó jì shè huì hū yù jiǎn shǎo hé dàn tóu de shù liàng.
    The international community calls for reducing the number of nuclear warheads.

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.

核hénuclear
弹头warhead
弹tánshell头tóuhead
偏正Modifier + head

核 means nuclear, 弹 means shell, and 头 means head or tip, together a nuclear warhead.

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
亥
亥hài核hé
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

核 pairs 木, a tree, with 亥 to give its sound; it originally named a kind of tree, and its later meanings are borrowed.

Open 核 →

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 彈; 弹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
弓弓gōng
Sound part声符shēngfú
單
單dān彈tán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 彈 pairs 弓 (bow) with the sound part 單; the simplified 弹 is a shorthand.

Open 弹 →

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
Military & Defense

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