Animals in Chinese: 30 Common Animal Names
Pets and Farm Animals
猫 (māo) cat, 狗 (gǒu) dog, 兔子 (tùzi) rabbit, 鱼 (yú) fish, 鸟 (niǎo) bird, 马 (mǎ) horse, 牛 (niú) cow, 猪 (zhū) pig, 羊 (yáng) sheep, 鸡 (jī) chicken.
Wild Animals
老虎 (lǎohǔ) tiger, 熊猫 (xióngmāo) panda (literally "bear cat"), 龙 (lóng) dragon, 蛇 (shé) snake, 猴子 (hóuzi) monkey, 大象 (dàxiàng) elephant, 狮子 (shīzi) lion.
Animals in Culture
Animals carry rich symbolism in Chinese culture. The dragon (龙) represents power and good fortune. The phoenix (凤凰, fènghuáng) symbolizes grace and virtue. Fish (鱼) represents abundance because it sounds like 余 (surplus). Practice writing animal characters with our Practice Sheet Generator.
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What are the most important animal words to learn? ▼
Start with common pets and farm animals: 猫 (cat), 狗 (dog), 鱼 (fish), 鸟 (bird), 马 (horse), 牛 (cow), 猪 (pig), 鸡 (chicken). These appear in HSK vocabulary lists and daily conversation.
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