脑袋

• Pinyin: nǎo dai
• Hanzi breakdown: 脑 = 月 (flesh/body) + phonetic component; 袋 = 代 (generation, phonetic) + 衣 (clothing) — a bag or sack

Meaning

Head; brain. An informal, colloquial term for the human head.

The casual, everyday word for 'head' as a physical body part. More colloquial than 头 in some contexts. Also used figuratively to refer to the mind or thinking ability, as in 脑袋灵活 (quick-minded) or 脑袋笨 (slow-witted). Very common in spoken Chinese.

Examples

1. 他摔了一跤，撞到了脑袋。 He took a fall and hit his head.
2. 想了半天，我的脑袋都快炸了。 After thinking for ages, my head is about to explode.
3. 她转过脑袋看了我一眼。 She turned her head and glanced at me.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, colloquial

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 你脑袋疼不疼？要不要去看医生？(Does your head hurt? Should you go see a doctor?)
• 动动脑袋，好好想一想。(Use your head and think about it carefully.)

Don't Say

• 在正式的医学场合用'脑袋' (In formal medical contexts, use 头部 instead of 脑袋 — e.g. say 头部受伤 not 脑袋受伤 in a medical report)

Origin & History

A compound of 脑 (brain) and 袋 (bag/sack) — colloquially, the 'brain bag' or container of the brain, i.e. the head.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal