What does 頭 mean in Japanese?
頭 means head — both the physical head on your body and, informally, the mind or intelligence behind it. The primary kun’yomi is あたま (atama), which covers both senses in everyday speech. 頭がいい (atama ga ii, literally ‘the head is good’) is one of the most common ways to describe someone as smart or clever.
頭 has two on’yomi — トウ and ズ — that appear in different compounds. トウ appears in 先頭 (sentou, the front/lead) and 口頭 (koutou, verbal/oral). ズ appears in 頭痛 (zutsuu, headache). Learning which reading goes with which compound is one of the key challenges for this kanji.
Reading
On’yomi: トウ (tou), ズ (zu)
Kun’yomi: あたま (atama), かしら (kashira)
Basic Information
| Kanji | 頭 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | head; mind |
| Stroke Count | 16 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
あたま (atama) covers the physical head and informal references to intelligence: 頭が痛い (the head hurts / I have a headache), 頭がいい (smart, clever). 先頭 (sentou) means the front position in a line, race, or group — 先頭に立つ (to stand at the front / to lead). 口頭 (koutou) means verbal or oral rather than written — 口頭試問 (oral examination), 口頭で伝える (to communicate verbally). 頭痛 (zutsuu) is the medical/formal term for a headache, used in clinical contexts and on medicine packaging; in casual speech, 頭が痛い is more natural.
Common Words
- 頭（あたま / atama） — head; mind, intelligence (informal)
- 頭痛（ずつう / zutsuu） — headache (medical/formal)
- 先頭（せんとう / sentou） — front, lead position
- 口頭（こうとう / koutou） — verbal, oral (not written)
- 頭文字（かしらもじ / kashiramoji） — initial letter, acronym
- 頭金（あたまきん / atamakin） — down payment, initial deposit
Example Sentences
-
頭が痛くて学校を休みました。
あたまがいたくてがっこうをやすみました。 / Atama ga itakute gakkou o yasumimashita.
I stayed home from school because of a headache.
-
先頭を走っている選手は誰ですか？
せんとうをはしっているせんしゅはだれですか？ / Sentou o hashitte iru senshu wa dare desu ka?
Who is the runner in the lead?
-
口頭で説明してください。
こうとうでせつめいしてください。 / Koutou de setsumei shite kudasai.
Please explain it verbally.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
The two on’yomi create a common reading challenge. ズ appears in 頭痛 (zutsuu, headache), where 頭 is read ず. Treat this as a word-specific reading to memorise. トウ appears in 先頭 (sentou, front/lead) and 口頭 (koutou, oral). When you see 頭 in a compound, check whether the reading is ズ or トウ; there is no consistent rule beyond learning each word.
The kunyomi かしら (kashira) is a separate reading used in two main contexts. 頭文字 (kashiramoji) means an initial letter or acronym — the ‘head letter’ of a word. かしら is also used to mean a leader or boss in certain fixed expressions, though this use is more literary. For everyday ‘head,’ always use あたま.
頭がいい (atama ga ii, smart/clever) is an extremely common expression at N4. Its opposite is 頭が悪い (atama ga warui, not clever). These phrases treat the head as the seat of intelligence — a natural, everyday metaphor. Beyond this pair, metaphorical uses of 頭 (such as 頭に入る, to enter the head / to be retained) are worth recognising in listening but do not need to be memorised actively at this stage.
頭金 (atamakin, down payment) = 頭 (head/front) + 金 (money). The down payment is the ‘head money’ — the first, upfront portion of a larger payment. 頭金を払う (to make a down payment), 頭金なし (no down payment required). This compound appears frequently in real estate and large-purchase contexts.
Summary
頭 means head and mind, with あたま as the primary kun’yomi. The two on’yomi — ズ (頭痛) and トウ (先頭, 口頭) — require separate memorisation. 頭がいい (smart) is the most common metaphorical use.