纸头 (zhǐ tóu) — (dialectal) paper

Definition

Colloquial or regional alternative for 纸, meaning 'paper'. Use it in casual speech; 纸 is the standard word in writing and most regions.

noun
(dialectal) paper
Measure word · 张
Easily confused

Examples

  • 纸头。
    Bāng wǒ ná yì zhāng zhǐ tóu guò lái.
    Help me get a piece of paper.
  • 纸头。
    Zhè zhǒng zhǐ tóu zhì liàng hěn hǎo.
    This kind of paper is of good quality.
  • 纸头。
    Tā yòng zhǐ tóu xiě le jǐ gè zì.
    He wrote a few characters on paper.

Origin

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.

纸zhǐpaper
头tóu

纸 names the material, and 头 completes the dialect word for paper.

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 紙; 纸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
氏
氏shì紙zhǐ
Same sound today

For 纸, the traditional form 紙 combines 糸 (silk) with 氏 (the sound part).

Open 纸 →

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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