指头

• Pinyin: zhǐ tou
• Hanzi breakdown: 指 = 扌 (hand) + 旨 (purpose); 头 = simplified from 頭 (head)

Meaning

Finger; a digit of the hand.

A colloquial term for finger, more casual than 手指. Can also refer to toes when combined as 脚指头. Used in everyday conversation and informal contexts.

Examples

1. 他切菜的时候不小心切到了指头。 He accidentally cut his finger while chopping vegetables.
2. 小孩子喜欢数自己的指头来学数数。 Little children like to count their fingers to learn numbers.
3. 她戴了一枚漂亮的戒指在无名指头上。 She wore a beautiful ring on her ring finger.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, body parts, colloquial

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 我的指头被门夹了。(My finger got caught in the door.)
• 伸出你的五个指头。(Stretch out your five fingers.)

Don't Say

• 在正式医学报告中使用'指头'。(Too colloquial — use 手指 in formal medical contexts)

Origin & History

Compound of 指 (finger, point) and 头 (head, suffix for nouns). 头 here is a diminutive suffix common in colloquial Chinese.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal