丫头 (yātou): girl

Measure Word

一个丫头 gè

Meanings

1 girl
2 lass
3 servant girl (archaic)

Characters

Originally referred to the forked hairstyle worn by young girls

Examples

HSK 1

我家丫头今年上大学了。

Wǒ jiā yātou jīnnián shàng dàxué le.

My girl started university this year.

HSK 2

这个小丫头真可爱。

Zhège xiǎo yātou zhēn kě'ài.

This little girl is really cute.

Tips

usage

In modern Chinese, 丫头 is an affectionate, informal term for a young girl or daughter. In classical Chinese, it referred to a maid or servant girl.

history

The character 丫 depicts a forked shape, referring to the two-bun hairstyle (丫髻) that young girls wore in ancient China.

Stroke Order

丫 yā

头 tóu

Related Words

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on hand; at hand / one's financial situation

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枕头 zhěntou HSK 7-9 #4,118

pillow

头号 tóuhào HSK 7-9 #5,228

number one / top / leading

头部 tóubù HSK 7-9 #3,963

head (body part) / top part; leading position

从头 cóngtóu HSK 7-9 #5,771

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头衔 tóuxián HSK 7-9 #5,895

title / rank / official designation

掉头 diàotóu HSK 7-9 #6,420

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