烟头 (yān tóu) — (n.) cigarette butt; cigarette end

Definition

noun

(n.) cigarette buttcigarette end

Measure word · 根

烟头，。
Dì shàng dào chù dōu shì yān tóu, tài bú wèi shēng le.
There are cigarette butts everywhere on the ground — it's so unsanitary.
烟头。
Tā suí shǒu bǎ yān tóu rēng jìn le lā jī tǒng.
He casually threw the cigarette butt into the trash can.
烟头，。
Qǐng wù luàn rēng yān tóu, zhù yì fáng huǒ.
Please do not litter cigarette butts — be careful about fire hazards.

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.

烟yāncigarette

“烟” denotes the cigarette and “头” the end, giving the leftover butt.

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 煙; 烟 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 烟 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (烟) it is 煙; in others it is 菸.

火垔煙

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

垔

垔yīn煙yān

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

This story is about the traditional form 煙, not the simplified 烟. It pairs 火, fire, with 垔, which gives the sound.

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.

豆頁頭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

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.

Appears in