舌头

• Pinyin: shé tou
• Hanzi breakdown: 舌 = pictograph of tongue sticking out; 头 = head, suffix — tongue

Meaning

Tongue. The muscular organ in the mouth used for tasting, swallowing, and speaking.

Used for the physical organ and in various expressions. 舌头长 means someone is talkative or gossipy. 咬舌头 means to bite one's tongue. Also appears in food contexts when describing animal tongues as ingredients.

Examples

1. 这道菜太辣了，我的舌头都麻了。 This dish is so spicy that my tongue has gone numb.
2. 小狗热得直吐舌头。 The puppy was so hot it kept sticking out its tongue.
3. 她不小心咬到了舌头，疼得直流眼泪。 She accidentally bit her tongue and tears streamed down from the pain.

Usage Guide

Context: body, food, everyday

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 伸出舌头让我看看。(Stick out your tongue and let me see.)
• 牛舌头是一道美味。(Beef tongue is a delicacy.)

Don't Say

• 不要用'舌头'形容语言能力 (Don't use 舌头 to describe language ability — use 口才 for eloquence)

Origin & History

Compound of 舌 (tongue, an ancient pictograph of a tongue sticking out of a mouth) + 头 (head, suffix). The 头 suffix makes it colloquial.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal