nin4 tau4年頭年头

Jyutpingnin4 tau4

Yalenìhn tàuh

名詞Common

Definition

The beginning of the year.

colloquialtime

How it's used

Refers specifically to the first few months of the calendar year, often implying the period before the Lunar New Year or the time immediately following it. It is much more common in casual conversation than the more formal term 年初. When people talk about their plans for the year, they frequently use this to set a timeframe for early-year goals.

Examples

gam1今nin4年nin4年tau4頭tin1天hei3氣dak6特bit6別dung3凍。

The weather was especially cold at the beginning of this year.

nei5你nin4年tau4頭hai6係mai6咪heoi3去zo2咗leoi5旅hang4行aa3呀？

Did you go traveling at the beginning of the year?

Common phrases

nin4年tau4頭nin4年mei5尾

throughout the year from start to finish

nin4年tau4頭ceot1出sai3世

born at the beginning of the year

Common mistake

Avoid confusing this with 年尾, which refers to the end of the year. Learners sometimes mistakenly use it to mean 'every year' due to the character 年, but it strictly refers to the temporal start of a specific year.