石头 (shí tou) — stone, rock | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Everyday word for a loose piece of stone or rock. 核 is the 'stone' inside a fruit; 岩石 refers to geological rock formations.

noun

stonerock

Measure word · 块

石头，。
Zhè kuài shí tou hěn yìng, kě yǐ yòng lái pū lù.
This stone is very hard and can be used to pave the road.
石头。
Tā zài hé biān jiǎn le yí kuài yuán yuán de shí tou.
He picked up a round stone by the river.
石头，。
Huā yuán lǐ yǒu hěn duō xiǎo shí tou, zǒu lù yào xiǎo xīn.
There are many small stones in the garden; be careful when walking.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

石 means 'stone' and 头 completes the familiar form.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 石 shows a stone under a cliff-like overhang, or a cave set into a cliff side.

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