指头 (zhǐtou): finger

Measure Word

一根指头 gēn

Meanings

1 finger
2 toe

Characters

head; tip; end (suffix)

The tip of the finger — a colloquial word for finger or toe.

Examples

他伸出一根指头。

Tā shēnchū yī gēn zhǐtou.

He held up one finger.

我的指头被门夹了。

Wǒ de zhǐtou bèi mén jiā le.

My finger got caught in the door.

十个指头有长短。

Shí gè zhǐtou yǒu cháng duǎn.

Ten fingers are of different lengths. (People have different abilities.)

Tips

usage

指头 is colloquial. More formal/standard: 手指 (shǒu zhǐ, finger), 脚趾 (jiǎo zhǐ, toe). 大拇指 (dà mǔ zhǐ) = thumb.

culture

十个指头有长短 — 'ten fingers are of different lengths' — means people naturally have different abilities and you shouldn't expect everyone to be the same.

Stroke Order

指 zhǐ

头 tóu

Related Words

手指头 shǒuzhǐtou #9,519

finger; fingertip

指定 zhǐdìng HSK 6 #5,353

to designate; to appoint; to assign / designated; specified

钟头 zhōngtóu HSK 6 #6,541

hour (colloquial)

头疼 tóuténg HSK 6 #4,607

to have a headache / to find something troublesome (figurative)

指数 zhǐshù HSK 6 #8,927

index (statistical measure) / exponent (mathematics)

开头 kāitóu HSK 6 #3,889

beginning; start; opening / to begin; to start off

街头 jiētóu HSK 6 #3,755

street corner; street (as a scene/setting) / on the street; street-level

舌头 shétou HSK 6 #3,235

tongue

脚指头 jiǎozhǐtou #29,863

toe / toes

低头 dītóu HSK 6 #7,646

to bow one's head; to lower one's head / to yield; to give in; to submit