---
title: "Niantou Meaning: 念头 (niàntou) Means “thought”"
description: "念头 (traditional 念頭, niàntou) means “thought; idea; intention”. Hear its tones, see what 念 and 头 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/niantou"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 念头 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

念头 niàntou

## thought; idea; intention

## Its characters

1. 念 niàn idea
2. 头 tou (suffix) noun suffix (as in 木头, 甜头)

## In a sentence

我突然有了一个念头，想去旅行。 I suddenly had the idea of going on a trip.

他愣住了，躺在那里半天没动，心里不禁冒出一个奇怪的**念头**：刚才到底是庄周做梦变成了蝴蝶，还是一只蝴蝶正在做梦，梦见自己变成了庄周？

From [庄周梦蝶 · Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream, and what it means](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/zhuangzi-butterfly-dream-meaning#library-word-318-320)

[More about 念头](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%BF%B5%E5%A4%B4)

## More words with 念 or 头

- [从头 cóngtóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/congtou)
- [带头 dàitóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daitou)
- [点头 diǎntóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/diantou)
- [低头 dītóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/ditou)
- [概念 gàiniàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/gainian)
- [个头 gètóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/getou)
- [观念 guānniàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guannian)
- [过头 guòtóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guotou)
- [骨头 gǔtou](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/gutou)
- [怀念 huáiniàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/huainian)

## Keep 念头 for Review

A free account keeps it, and Review brings it back just before you’d forget it.

## Look up another word

## See any word in its sentence

Get a card like this for every word on any page or YouTube subtitle.

[Add to Chrome](https://mandarinthewild.com/go/chrome?from=%2Fmeaning%2Fniantou) [Read in the Library](https://mandarinthewild.com/library)

[Every free Chinese tool we make](https://mandarinthewild.com/tools)

[Free HSK practice tests and mock exams](https://mandarinthewild.com/guides/hsk-practice-tests)