Japanese

あたま
Meaning: head, brains, intelligence, beginning
Part of Speech: Noun

Listen to pronunciation

Handwriting

頭

Example sentences

My head hurt, so I took medicine.
名案が頭に浮かんだ。
A great idea came to mind.
彼は頭が良く、その上性格もいい。
He is smart, and moreover, he has a good personality.
犬の頭を優しく撫でた。
I gently stroked the dog's head.
緊張で頭の中が真っ白になった。
My mind went completely blank due to nervousness.
熱があって、頭がふらふらする。
I have a fever, and my head feels dizzy.
彼は申し訳なさそうに頭を下げた。
He lowered his head looking apologetic.
頭がかゆかったので、つい掻いてしまった。
I was so itchy that I accidentally scratched my head.
彼は階段から落ちて頭を打ち、しばらく意識を失っていた。
He fell down the stairs, hit his head, and lost consciousness for a while.
頭をぶつけて、こめかみが痛い。
I hit my head, and my temple hurts.

Usage Notes

頭 primarily means 'head' (the body part). Also means 'brains/intelligence' (頭がいい = 'smart'), 'beginning' (月の頭 = 'beginning of the month'), or 'top/leader' (部の頭 = 'department head'). Different from かしら which is an older reading for 'head'.

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