Pets in Chinese 宠物
chǒngwù
Pet in Chinese is 宠物 (chǒng wù).
Also searched for as: pet, dog, cat.
Which animals live with us? 12 essential pets 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 pet in Chinese is 宠物 (chǒng wù), literally 'pampered thing', and pets are a big part of life in Chinese cities. Beyond the animals themselves, the key verb is 养 (yǎng), to keep or raise, as in 我养了一只猫 (wǒ yǎng le yī zhī māo), 'I've got a cat', and dog owners will need 遛狗 (liù gǒu), to walk the dog, every single day.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 宠物 | chǒng wù | pet |
| 养 | yǎng | to keep (a pet) |
| 喂 | wèi | to feed |
| 遛狗 | liù gǒu | to walk the dog |
| 小狗 | xiǎo gǒu | puppy |
| 小猫 | xiǎo māo | kitten |
| 金鱼 | jīn yú | goldfish |
| 仓鼠 | cāng shǔ | hamster |
| 宠物店 | chǒng wù diàn | pet shop |
| 兽医 | shòu yī | vet |
| 笼子 | lóng zi | cage |
| 可爱 | kě ài | cute |
Usage tips
- 养 (yǎng) is the verb for keeping any living thing: pets, plants or fish. 你养宠物吗？ (nǐ yǎng chǒng wù ma?) is the natural way to ask if someone has a pet.
- 遛 (liù) means walking an animal specifically: 遛狗 is walking the dog, and 遛鸟 (liù niǎo) is the traditional pastime of taking caged birds out to the park.
- Cat and dog owners jokingly call themselves 铲屎官 (chǎn shǐ guān), 'poop-scooping officer', a popular online nickname.
Common mistakes
- Translating "walk the dog" as 走狗 or 散步狗 → say 遛狗 (liù gǒu); 走狗 (zǒu gǒu) actually means a lackey and is an insult.
- Saying you're taking your pet to see a 医生 → for animals use 看兽医 (kàn shòu yī) or 去宠物医院 (qù chǒng wù yī yuàn).
Mini dialogue
- A你家养宠物吗？Nǐ jiā yǎng chǒng wù ma?Do you have any pets?
- B养了一只小狗，才三个月大。Yǎng le yī zhī xiǎo gǒu, cái sān gè yuè dà.A puppy. He's only three months old.
- A真可爱！你每天都要遛狗吗？Zhēn kě ài! Nǐ měi tiān dōu yào liù gǒu ma?How cute! Do you have to walk him every day?
- B对，早上和晚上都要。周末还要带它去看兽医。Duì, zǎo shang hé wǎn shang dōu yào. Zhōu mò hái yào dài tā qù kàn shòu yī.Yes, morning and evening. And I've got to take him to the vet at the weekend.
Example sentences
- 你家有宠物吗？Do you have any pets?
- 我养了一只猫。I've got a cat.
- 你喂过猫了吗？Have you fed the cat?
- 我每天晚上出去遛狗。I take the dog for a walk every evening.
- 这只小狗才两个月大。This puppy is only two months old.
- 小猫在玩一个球。The kitten is playing with a ball.
- 桌子上有一缸金鱼。There's a bowl of goldfish on the table.
- 我的仓鼠晚上特别活跃。My hamster is really lively at night.
- 我在宠物店买了狗粮。I bought dog food at the pet shop.
- 狗病了，我们带它去看兽医。The dog's ill, so we're taking it to the vet.
- 鸟在笼子里叫个不停。The bird in the cage won't stop chirping.
- 你的小猫真可爱！Your kitten is so cute!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Pets speaking island has 8 everyday questions about pets to prepare your own answers to.