The Noun Suffix 头 in 木头, 里头 and 看头
Recognise and use the neutral-tone suffix 头 in everyday nouns (木头), place words (里头) and “worth doing” nouns (没什么看头).
Muster
root + 头 (neutral tone tou) → noun: 木头, 里头, 看头
Suffix 头 is light and toneless: it makes nouns, and no longer means “head”.
这张桌子是木头做的。
When to use The Noun Suffix 头 in 木头, 里头 and 看头
As a suffix, 头 is read in the neutral tone (tou) and no longer means “head”. It turns a root into an ordinary noun: 木 + 头 = 木头 “wood”, 石头 “stone”, 馒头 “steamed bun”. After direction words it makes place words: 里头 “inside”, 外头 “outside”, 前头 “in front”. After some verbs and adjectives it makes abstract nouns, usually with 有 or 没(有)什么: 没什么看头 “nothing worth watching”.
小心，路上有块大石头。
Careful, there’s a big rock on the road.
早饭我吃了两个馒头。
I had two steamed buns for breakfast.
外头冷，你多穿点儿。
It’s cold outside; put on another layer.
箱子里头装的都是书。
The box is full of books.
Häufige Stolperfallen
- Read the suffix in the neutral tone: 木头 is mùtou, not mùtóu.
- Don’t add 头 to any noun you like: say 桌子, not 桌头; 头 words are fixed and learned one by one.
- Use verb + 头 with 有 or 没什么: 这本书没什么看头, not 这本书不看头.
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