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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "tongue" in Chinese?
舌头
shé tou
In Chinese, "tongue" is 舌头 (shé tou).
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Pronunciation
"shé tou" is spoken with "shé" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2), then the toneless "tou" stays light and unstressed.
Writing and usage
舌头 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
冰淇淋在舌尖上冰凉的。
bīng qí lín zài shé jiān shàng bīng liáng de 。
The ice cream was cold on my tongue.
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How to remember 舌头
Link the sound of "shé tou" to something in English that it faintly echoes, then picture that image next to "舌头" (shé tou).
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 舌头
How do you pronounce 舌头?
"shé tou" is spoken with "shé" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2), then the toneless "tou" stays light and unstressed.
Is 舌头 formal or casual?
舌头 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 舌头 used in Chinese?
舌头 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 冰淇淋在舌尖上冰凉的。 (The ice cream was cold on my tongue.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Tongue" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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