# 火車頭
## Chinese

* 火車頭 (Written Standard Chinese)
* Hóe-chhia-thâu (Southern Min)

### Etymology
#### “HKSAR Passport”

    From the resemblance of the Chinese emblem to the front of a steam locomotive.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): huǒchētóu
    (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄛˇ ㄔㄜ ㄊㄡˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): fo$^2$ ce$^1$ tau$^4$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): fó-chhâ-thèu
    (Hailu, HRS): fo$^ˊ$ cha$^ˋ$ teu
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): hóe-chhia-thâu / hé-chhia-thâu
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$hu-tsho-deu
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: huǒchētóu
*** Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄛˇ ㄔㄜ ㄊㄡˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: huǒchetóu
*** Wade–Giles: huo$^3$-chʻê$^1$-tʻou$^2$
*** Yale: hwǒ-chē-tóu
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huoochetour
*** Palladius: хочэтоу (xočɛtou)
*** Sinological IPA : /xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: fo$^2$ ce$^1$ tau$^4$
*** Yale: fó chē tàuh
*** Cantonese Pinyin: fo$^2$ tse$^1$ tau$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: fo$^2$ cé$^1$ teo$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /fɔː³⁵ t͡sʰɛː⁵⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fó-chhâ-thèu
*** Hakka Romanization System: fo$^ˋ$ ca$^ˊ$ teu$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: fo$^3$ ca$^1$ teu$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /fo³¹ t͡sʰa²⁴ tʰeu̯¹¹/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: fo$^ˊ$ cha$^ˋ$ teu
*** Sinological IPA: /fo²⁴⁻³³ t͡ʃʰa⁵³ tʰeu⁵⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Tainan)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hóe-chhia-thâu
*** Tâi-lô: hué-tshia-thâu
*** Phofsit Daibuun: hoefchia'taau
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /hue⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡sʰia⁴⁴⁻³³ tʰau²³/
*** IPA (Tainan): /hue⁵³⁻⁵⁵ t͡sʰia⁴⁴⁻³³ tʰau²⁴/
** (Hokkien: Taipei)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hé-chhia-thâu
*** Tâi-lô: hé-tshia-thâu
*** Phofsit Daibuun: hefchia'taau
*** IPA (Taipei): /he⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sʰia⁴⁴⁻³³ tʰau²⁴/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^5$hu-tsho-deu
*** MiniDict: hu$^去$ tsho deu
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^2$hu-tsho-deu
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /hu³³ t͡sʰo⁵⁵ dɤ²¹/

### Noun

火車頭
* train engine; locomotive
* (Taiwanese Hokkien, Taiwanese Hakka) train station
* (Hong Kong, Macau, neologism, figuratively) one who smokes while walking on the streets
** 2023 July 13, “日本經驗難減二手煙 質疑禁「火車頭」成效 [Japan's experience shows secondhand smoke is difficult to reduce / Effectiveness of banning "train engines" are called into question]”, in Ming Pao‎:
       zing$^3$ fu$^2$ zok$^6$ jat$^6$ teoi$^1$ ceot$^1$ hung$^3$ jin$^1$ caak$^3$ loek$^6$ zi$^1$ seon$^1$, baau$^1$ kut$^3$ tai$^4$ ceot$^1$ kwok$^3$ daai$^6$ gam$^3$ jin$^1$ keoi$^1$, ji$^5$ kap$^6$ gam$^3$ zi$^2$ jyu$^1$ gaai$^1$ dou$^6$ soeng$^6$ bin$^1$ zau$^2$ bin$^1$ kap$^1$ jin$^1$ dik$^1$ zuk$^6$ cing$^1$ “fo$^2$ ce$^1$ tau$^4$” hang$^4$ wai$^4$. [Jyutping]
       Yesterday, the government launched a consulation on strategies to control smoking, including a proposal to extend no smoking areas and to forbid smoking while walking on the streets, an act commonly known as a "train engine".
* (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang) HKSAR passport
* (figurative) one who plays the main role in something

#### Synonyms

* (train engine): 機車／机车 (jīchē); (Hakka) 車嫲／车嫲; (Hokkien) 車母／车母, 火車母／火车母
* (train station):
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 火車站 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 火車站 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Harbin | 火車站 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 火車站 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Wanrong | 火車站 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 火車站 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xining | 火車站 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xuzhou | 火車站 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan) | 火車站 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Yinchuan | 火車站 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Lanzhou | 火車站 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Ürümqi | 火車站 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 火車站 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 火車站 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Guiyang | 火車站 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Guilin | 火車站 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Liuzhou | 火車站 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Xiangtan (Jiangnan Industries Group koine) | 火車站 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Nanjing | 火車站 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 火車站 |
| Cantonese | Dongguan | 火車站 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 火車站 |
| Gan | Lichuan | 火車站 |
| Gan | Pingxiang | 火車站 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 火車站 |
| Hakka | Yudu | 火車站 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 火車頭, 火車站 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 火車頭, 火車站 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 火車頭, 火車站 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 火車頭, 火車站 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 火車頭, 火車站 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 火車頭, 火車站 |
| Huizhou | Jixi | 火車站 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 火車站 |
| Jin | Xinzhou | 火車站 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 火車站 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 火車站 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 火車站 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 火車頭 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 火車站 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 火車站 |
| Southern Min | Haikou | 火車站 |
| Southern Pinghua | Nanning (Tingzi) | 火車站 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 火車站 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Chongming) | 火車站 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 火車站 |
| Wu | Danyang | 火車站 |
| Wu | Hangzhou | 火車站 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 火車站 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 火車站 |
| Wu | Jinhua | 火車站 |
| Xiang | Loudi | 火車站 |
* (HKSAR passport): 廁所板 / 厕所板 (ci$^3$ so$^2$ baan$^2$), 廁板 / 厕板

### Further reading

* (Min Nan) “火車頭”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.