Animals in Chinese 动物
dòngwù
Animal in Chinese is 动物 (dòng wù).
Also searched for as: animal, animal names, cat dog.
Who lives there? 20 essential animals words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for animal in Chinese is 动物 (dòng wù), literally 'moving thing', and animal names are among the first words children and learners pick up. This list runs from pets and farm animals like 狗 (gǒu) and 牛 (niú) to zoo favourites such as 熊猫 (xióng māo), panda, literally 'bear cat', and it also contains all twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, from 老鼠 (lǎo shǔ) to 猪 (zhū).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 动物 | dòng wù | animal |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog |
| 猫 | māo | cat |
| 鸟 | niǎo | bird |
| 鱼 | yú | fish |
| 马 | mǎ | horse |
| 牛 | niú | cow |
| 猪 | zhū | pig |
| 羊 | yáng | sheep |
| 鸡 | jī | chicken |
| 兔子 | tù zi | rabbit |
| 老鼠 | lǎo shǔ | mouse |
| 老虎 | lǎo hǔ | tiger |
| 狮子 | shī zi | lion |
| 大象 | dà xiàng | elephant |
| 熊猫 | xióng māo | panda |
| 猴子 | hóu zi | monkey |
| 蛇 | shé | snake |
| 龙 | lóng | dragon |
| 动物园 | dòng wù yuán | zoo |
Usage tips
- Animals take different measure words: 一只猫 (yī zhī māo) for most small animals, 一条鱼 (yī tiáo yú) for long ones like fish and snakes, 一头牛 (yī tóu niú) for big livestock and 一匹马 (yī pǐ mǎ) for horses.
- To give your zodiac sign, use 属 (shǔ): 我属龙 (wǒ shǔ lóng), 'I was born in the Year of the Dragon'. In the zodiac, 鼠 (shǔ) is usually translated as rat.
- 牛 (niú) covers cows, bulls and oxen, and 羊 (yáng) covers both sheep and goats; specify with 绵羊 (mián yáng), sheep, or 山羊 (shān yáng), goat.
Common mistakes
- Using 个 for animals, as in 一个狗 → use 只 or 条: 一只狗 (yī zhī gǒu) or 一条狗 (yī tiáo gǒu).
- Getting the tone of 马 wrong → horse is third tone, 马 (mǎ); first tone 妈 (mā) is mum and fourth tone 骂 (mà) means to scold.
Mini dialogue
- A你最喜欢什么动物？Nǐ zuì xǐ huan shén me dòng wù?What's your favourite animal?
- B熊猫！它们太可爱了。你呢？Xióng māo! Tā men tài kě ài le. Nǐ ne?Pandas! They're so cute. You?
- A我喜欢猴子，我是属猴的。Wǒ xǐ huan hóu zi, wǒ shì shǔ hóu de.I like monkeys. I was born in the Year of the Monkey.
- B那周末我们一起去动物园吧！Nà zhōu mò wǒ men yī qǐ qù dòng wù yuán ba!Let's go to the zoo together at the weekend, then!
Example sentences
- 你最喜欢什么动物？What's your favourite animal?
- 我家的狗叫小白。Our dog is called Xiaobai.
- 那只猫在沙发上睡觉。That cat is sleeping on the sofa.
- 树上有两只鸟在唱歌。There are two birds singing in the tree.
- 我晚饭想吃鱼。I'd like fish for dinner.
- 他小时候学过骑马。He learnt to ride a horse as a child.
- 农场里有十头牛。There are ten cows on the farm.
- 这只小猪真胖！This little pig is so fat!
- 山上有很多白色的羊。There are lots of white sheep on the hill.
- 奶奶家养了几只鸡。Grandma keeps a few chickens.
- 兔子喜欢吃胡萝卜。Rabbits like eating carrots.
- 厨房里有一只老鼠！There's a mouse in the kitchen!
- 动物园里的老虎很大。The tiger at the zoo is huge.
- 狮子是草原上的王。The lion is king of the grasslands.
- 大象的鼻子很长。Elephants have very long trunks.
- 熊猫每天吃很多竹子。Pandas eat lots of bamboo every day.
- 猴子在树上跳来跳去。The monkeys are jumping around in the trees.
- 我最怕蛇了。I'm most afraid of snakes.
- 我是属龙的。I was born in the Year of the Dragon.
- 星期天我们带孩子去动物园。On Sunday we're taking the kids to the zoo.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Animals speaking island has 8 everyday questions about animals to prepare your own answers to.