狗头 (gǒu tóu) — (internet slang) dog head emoji/sticker used to indicate a joking, sarcastic, or non-serious tone; (derogatory) dog's head (a mild insult)

Definition

Internet slang: shorthand for the 🐶 emoji/sticker, used after a line to signal sarcasm or a joke so the reader doesn't take it seriously. Literally "dog's head."

noun
(internet slang) dog head emoji/sticker used to indicate a joking, sarcastic, or non-serious tone(derogatory) dog's head (a mild insult)

Examples

  • 狗头，。
    Nǐ zài píng lùn lǐ jiā gè gǒu tóu, dà jiā jiù zhī dào nǐ shì kāi wán xiào de.
    If you add a dog head in the comment, everyone will know you're joking.
  • 狗头，。
    Tā shuō huà jīng cháng dài gǒu tóu, fēn bù qīng shì bu shì rèn zhēn de.
    He often uses a dog head when speaking, so you can't tell if he's serious.
  • 狗头。
    Zhè zhǒng mà rén gǒu tóu de huà zuì hǎo bié yòng.
    It's best not to use this kind of insulting 'dog's head' remark.

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.

狗gǒudog
头tóuhead

狗 (dog) and 头 (head) form the literal dog head, used online for a joking tone.

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù狗gǒu
Same sound today

狗 combines 犬, meaning dog, with 句, which gives the sound.

Open 狗 →

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 →

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