里头 (lǐ tou) — inside; interior | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

里头 (lǐ tou) is the colloquial, everyday word for 'inside.' It pairs naturally after spatial nouns like 口袋 and 抽屉, while 里 and 里面 are more neutral, and 内 / 内部 are more formal or written.

noun

insideinterior

Examples

里头。
Qǐng bǎ yào shi fàng zài chōu ti lǐ tou.
Please put the keys inside the drawer.
里头。
Tā cóng kǒu dài lǐ tou ná chū shǒu jī.
He took out his phone from inside his pocket.
里头，。
Wǒ jiǎn chá le shū bāo lǐ tou, méi yǒu zhǎo dào yào shi.
I checked inside the backpack and didn't find the keys.

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.

里lǐinside

里头 means inside: 里 carries the idea of inside, while 头 completes the form.

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 裡; 里 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 里 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (里, 里面) it is 裡; in others (公里) it is 里 or 裏.

衤里裡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

衤Written in full as衣yīclothes

Sound part声符shēngfú

里

里lǐ裡lǐ

Same sound today

The form 裡 pairs 衤 (clothes) with 里 as a sound component.

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

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5

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