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đầu

Level ≈A1 (approx.) nounadjective Sino-Vietnamese Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [ʔɗəw˨˩]Huế [ʔɗəw˦˩]Saigon [ʔɗəw˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones

Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →

đầu means head; an end or extremity; compare mũi.

Chinese characters: 頭 Classifier: cái — e.g. một cái đầu (one head)

Meanings of đầu in English

Noun

  1. head ≈ trốc
  2. of an object an end or extremity; compare mũi (“tip”)
    • hai đầu cầuthe two ends of the bridge
  3. physical media player
    • đầu đĩaa disc player
    • đầu bănga VHS player

Adjective

  1. first
    • ngày đầuthe first day

Words with đầu

Example sentences with đầu

  • Đó là một bệnh về da đầu. It's a scalp disease.
  • Bạn gặp Tom lần đầu ở đâu? Where did you first meet Tom?
  • Đầu tôi nhức vì tôi bị ốm. My head hurts because I'm sick.
  • Đầu tháng sau bố tôi sẽ về. My father will be back at the beginning of next month.
  • Đừng gắn cái đó lên đầu bạn. Don't attach it to your head.
  • Lúc đầu tôi không thích cô ấy. I didn't like her at first.
  • Helen lúc nào cũng đứng đầu lớp. Helen is always at the top of her class.
  • Mary đội một chiếc khăn trùm đầu. Mary wears a headscarf.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, đầu could be written as 头. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 頭.

Frequently asked questions

What does đầu mean in English?

đầu (noun) means "head; an end or extremity; compare mũi".

How do you pronounce đầu?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔɗəw˨˩]; Saigon [ʔɗəw˨˩]. Tones: đầu — falling tone (huyền).

Is đầu a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. đầu is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 頭.

What classifier is used with đầu?

Common classifiers: cái — for example "một cái đầu" (one head).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited; example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Levels are approximate, estimated from word frequency. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.