领 lǐng — neck; collar; to lead; to receive
老师领着学生参观博物馆。Lǎo shī lǐng zhe xué sheng cān guān bó wù guǎn.The teacher led the students to visit the museum.
Common words: 领导 (lǐng dǎo)、领先 (lǐng xiān)、带领 (dài lǐng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "neck"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "neck", including 领 (lǐng), 颈 (jǐng), 脖 (bó). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "neck" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 领 (lǐng), 颈 (jǐng), 脖 (bó) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lǐng, jǐng, bó — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 领 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 领 lǐngneck; collar; to lead; to receiveUseful words: 领导, 领先
- 颈 jǐngneckUseful words: 颈椎, 颈部
- 脖 bóneckUseful words: 脖子, 脖领
Common words for these 3 "neck" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 领 (lǐng) — so "neck" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
领导lǐng dǎolead; leading; to lead; leadership领先lǐng xiānto lead; to be in front带领dài lǐngto guide; to lead颈椎jǐng zhuīcervical vertebra; the seven cervical vertebrae in the neck of humans and most mammals颈部jǐng bùneck瓶颈píng jǐngneck of a bottle; (fig.) bottleneck; problem that impedes progress脖子bó zineck脖领bó lǐngshirt collar围脖wéi bómuffler; scarf
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "neck".
颈 jǐng — neck
长颈鹿的脖颈很长，能吃到高处的树叶。Cháng jǐng lù de bó jǐng hěn cháng, néng chī dào gāo chù de shù yè.A giraffe neck is long, so it can reach leaves up high.
Common words: 颈椎 (jǐng zhuī)、颈部 (jǐng bù)、瓶颈 (píng jǐng)
脖 bó — neck
天冷了，他在脖子上围了一条围巾。Tiān lěng le, tā zài bó zi shàng wéi le yì tiáo wéi jīn.It got cold, so he wrapped a scarf around his neck.
Common words: 脖子 (bó zi)、脖领 (bó lǐng)、围脖 (wéi bó)
All 3 characters
Open 领、颈、脖 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.