Hoofdlicht

Hoofdlicht is a Dutch term that literally means main light and is used to refer to the primary lighting element at the front of a vehicle or of a lighting system. In everyday Dutch, the common term for the front lamps of a car is koplamp, but hoofdlicht appears in more formal, historical, or regulatory contexts to denote the principal front illumination.

In automotive usage, hoofdlicht describes the front lighting designed to illuminate the road ahead and to make the vehicle visible to others. Modern headlight systems typically include a combination of low beam and, when needed, high beam, with various technologies such as halogen, xenon (HID), or LED. Many vehicles also incorporate daytime running lights in the same front-light assembly. Safety regulations govern the placement, intensity, color, and aim of hoofdlichten, aiming to balance road visibility with glare reduction for oncoming traffic.

Beyond cars, the term hoofdlicht can also appear in other contexts to denote the main or key light in a lighting setup, such as stage, theatre, or photography. In these contexts the term is analogous to the English “key light,” used to establish the primary illumination of a subject.

Etymology of the word is straightforward: hoofd means head or main, and licht means light. Related terms include koplamp (the common Dutch term for car headlights) and other domain-specific lighting terminology.

See also: koplamp, autoverlichting, stage lighting, key light.