---
title: "Yuantou Meaning: 源头 (yuántóu) Means “source”"
description: "源头 (traditional 源頭, yuántóu) means “source; fountainhead; origin”. Hear its tones, see what 源 and 头 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/yuantou"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# What does 源头 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

源头 yuántóu

## source; fountainhead; origin

## Its characters

1. 源 yuán source
2. 头 tóu head

## In a sentence

这条河的源头在山里。 The source of this river is in the mountains.

两个家族的**源头**，其实是同一个汉字。

From [世界上的“茶”为什么有两种叫法？ · Cha or tea? Why the world has two words for tea](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/cha-or-tea-why-the-world-has-two-words-for-tea#library-word-277-279)

[More about 源头](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%BA%90%E5%A4%B4)

## More words with 源 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)
- [电源 diànyuán](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dianyuan)
- [低头 dītóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/ditou)
- [根源 gēnyuán](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/genyuan)
- [个头 gètóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/getou)
- [过头 guòtóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guotou)
- [骨头 gǔtou](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/gutou)
- [回头 huítóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/huitou)

## Keep 源头 for Review

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[All 214 Chinese radicals](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-radicals)

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