头发

tóu fa

hair

HSK Level 2

Example Sentences

我的头发很长。

Wǒ de tóu fà hěn cháng.

My hair is very long.

我需要剪头发了。

Wǒ xū yào jiǎn tóu fà le.

I need to get a haircut.

你的头发真漂亮!

Nǐ de tóu fà zhēn piào liang!

Your hair is so beautiful!

Synonyms

毛发 (máo fà)

hair

头发丝 (tóu fà sī)

hair strand

Antonyms

光头 (guāngtóu)

bald head

秃头 (tūtóu)

bald head

Start Learning with HSK Tracker

Track your progress, master characters, and achieve your Chinese language goals.

Get Started Free
HSK Tracker Preview

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 头发 (tóu fà) for "hair" is composed of two characters: 头 (tóu), meaning "head," and 发 (fà), meaning "to grow" or "to send forth." Together, these characters form a compound word that literally means "that which grows from the head." This etymology reflects the fact that hair is a natural outgrowth of the human body, and it is closely associated with the head, which is the highest point of the body. In Chinese culture, hair is also seen as a symbol of beauty and vitality, and it is often used in idioms and expressions to describe a person's appearance or character. For example, the phrase 一头秀发 (yī tóu xiù fà) means "a head of beautiful hair," while the phrase 白发三千丈 (bái fà sān qiān zhàng) means "hair as white as snow."