Question 1

What does 头发 mean in Chinese?

Accepted Answer

头发 (tóufa) means the hair on a person's head — and ONLY that. Chinese is more precise than English here: 头发 is scalp hair; 毛 covers body hair / animal fur; 胡子 is facial hair / beard. Note the second character 发 is pronounced 'fa' (neutral tone) here, not the standard 'fā' — a common pronunciation trap.

Common verbs: 剪头发 ('cut hair'), 洗头发 / 洗头 ('wash hair'), 染头发 ('dye hair'), 梳头发 ('comb hair'). To talk about a hairstyle, native speakers say 发型 (fàxíng) — and here 发 returns to the first tone. Length descriptors: 长头发 ('long hair'), 短头发 ('short hair')

Question 2

How do you pronounce 头发?

Accepted Answer

头发 is pronounced tóufa — 头 (tóu), 发 (fa).

Question 3

Is 头发 a noun, verb, or something else?

Accepted Answer

头发 is a noun, register: neutral.

Question 4

What is the measure word for 头发?

Accepted Answer

Use 根 (gēn). Example: 一根头发 — single strand. Other measure words: 头 (tóu).

Question 5

What's the difference between 头发 and 毛?

Accepted Answer

毛 is body hair / animal fur / feathers. Use 头发 strictly for hair on the human head; 毛 for everything else (arm hair, dog fur).

Question 6

What's the difference between 头发 and 胡子?

Accepted Answer

胡子 is facial hair / beard / mustache. Don't use 头发 for what grows below the chin.

头发

What does 头发 mean?

Character breakdown

Measure word for 头发

Example sentences

Common phrases with 头发

Synonyms

Don't confuse 头发 with

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