毛发

毛髮

máofà

noun #7,951

Meanings

毛 refers to body hair or fur in general, 发 specifically to head hair — together they mean all body hair.

人体的毛发有保护皮肤的作用。

Réntǐ de máofà yǒu bǎohù pífū de zuòyòng.

Human body hair serves to protect the skin.

他紧张得毛发都竖起来了。

Tā jǐnzhāng de máofà dōu shùqǐ lái le.

He was so nervous his hair stood on end.

这种病会导致毛发脱落。

Zhèzhǒng bìng huì dǎozhì máofà tuōluò.

This disease can cause hair loss.

usage

毛发 is a formal/medical term for hair in general. In everyday speech, use 头发 (tóufa) for head hair and 汗毛 (hànmáo) for body hair.

毛 máo

发 fā