掉头

diào tóu

HSK 3.0 Level 7 Verb Uncommon

Definitions

1. to turn one's head
2. to turn round
3. to turn about

Word relationships

Register variants

1 item

• 调头 diào tou 调头 diào tou tone (of voice) 调头 (diào tóu) is a variant form used in some contexts, especially for turning a vehicle around, though 掉头 is more standard.: tone (of voice)

Related words

2 items

• 回首 huí shǒu 回首 huí shǒu to turn around; to look back 回首 (huí shǒu) means to look back or turn one's head back, often used in literary or nostalgic contexts.: to turn around; to look back
• 转身 zhuǎn shēn 转身 zhuǎn shēn (of a person) to turn round 转身 (zhuǎn shēn) means to turn one's body around, a more complete physical turn than just turning the head.: (of a person) to turn round

Synonyms

1 item

• 转头 zhuǎn tóu 转头 zhuǎn tóu to turn one's head Both mean to turn one's head, but 转头 is more common for simply turning the head, while 掉头 can also imply turning the body around.: to turn one's head

Usage notes

Common mistakes

掉头 (diào tóu) specifically means turning the head or turning around; for making a U-turn while driving, use 掉头 (diào tóu) in mainland China, but in Taiwan, 迴轉 (huízhuǎn) is often used.

Example Sentences

1 shown

他听到有人叫他，便 掉头 看了一眼。

He heard someone calling him, so he turned his head and took a look.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 掉头

• 掉头就走 掉头就走 diào tóu jiù zǒu: to turn on one's heels

Child Words of 掉头

• 掉 掉 diào: to fall
• 头 头 tóu: head