How To Say Common Animals in Chinese Mandarin For Beginners

Have you ever wanted to tell your Chinese-speaking friends about your pets, but didn’t know how to say words like “dog,” “cat,” or “bird” in Chinese? The topic of animals is both familiar and frequently used in everyday conversation. In this blog post, Ni Hao Ma will explore essential vocabulary for animals in Chinese, including relevant classifiers and practical examples to enhance your communication skills.

Vocabulary for Animals in Chinese

Do you know how to name different animals in Chinese? Animals live alongside us as close companions, and learning how to talk about them is an important part of mastering any new language. Whether you’re sharing stories about your pets or making small talk in Mandarin, having a solid grasp of animal-related vocabulary can be incredibly helpful. Below is a comprehensive list of common terms for animals in Chinese, carefully compiled by Ni Hao Ma.

Animal Classifications in Chinese

ChinesePinyinMeaning
哺乳动物bǔrǔ dòngwùMammals
爬行动物páxíng dòngwùReptiles
鸟类niǎo lèiBirds
鱼类yú lèiFish
两栖动物liǎngqī dòngwùAmphibians
昆虫kūnchóngInsects
甲壳类动物jiǎqiào lèi dòngwùCrustaceans
食肉动物shíròu dòngwùCarnivores
食草动物shícǎo dòngwùHerbivores
海洋动物hǎiyáng dòngwùMarine animals
野生动物yěshēng dòngwùWild animals
家畜jiāchùLivestock
啮齿动物nièchǐ dòngwùRodents
无脊椎动物wú jǐzhuī dòngwùInvertebrates
水生动物shuǐshēng dòngwùAquatic animals
陆生动物lùshēng dòngwùTerrestrial animals
animals in chinese mandarin

Pet Names in Chinese

Pets bring joy, companionship, and even life inspiration to many people. Here’s how to refer to your favorite furry (or scaly) friends when speaking Mandarin:

ChinesePinyinMeaning
宠物chǒngwùPet
gǒuDog
māoCat
niǎoBird (general)
画眉huàméiHwamei (a type of songbird)
八哥bāgēMyna bird
豚鼠túshǔGuinea pig
乌龟wūguīTurtle
仓鼠cāngshǔHamster
兔子tùziRabbit
鹦鹉yīngwǔParrot
Fish
刺猬cìwèiHedgehog
松鼠sōngshǔSquirrel
壁虎bìhǔGecko
巨蜥jùxīMonitor lizard
pet names in chinese

Vocabulary about Animals in Chinese

ChinesePinyinMeaning
老虎lǎohǔTiger
狮子shīziLion
大象dàxiàngElephant
长颈鹿chángjǐnglùGiraffe
Horse
xióngBear
lángWolf
狐狸húlíFox
袋鼠dàishǔKangaroo
骆驼luòtuoCamel
犀牛xīniúRhinoceros
河马hémǎHippopotamus
鳄鱼èyúCrocodile
鬣狗liègǒuHyena
青蛙qīngwāFrog
蟒蛇mǎngshéPython (large snake)
海豚hǎitúnDolphin
鲸鱼jīngyúWhale
鲨鱼shāyúShark
章鱼zhāngyúOctopus
海星hǎixīngStarfish
螃蟹pángxièCrab
xiāShrimp
乌贼wūzéiSquid
海豹hǎibàoSeal
北极熊běijíxióngPolar Bear
企鹅qǐ’éPenguin
金钱豹jīnqiánbàoLeopard
孔雀kǒngquèPeacock
yīngEagle
猫头鹰māotóuyīngOwl
鸵鸟tuóniǎoOstrich
燕子yànziSwallow
乌鸦wūyāCrow
huānBadger
Crane
蚂蚁mǎyǐAnt
蜜蜂mìfēngBee
蝴蝶húdiéButterfly
蜻蜓qīngtíngDragonfly
蚊子wénziMosquito
苍蝇cāngyingFly
蜘蛛zhīzhūSpider
蜈蚣wúgōngCentipede
蝎子xiēziScorpion
蜥蜴xīyìLizard
蛤蜊gélíClam
珊瑚shānhúCoral
水母shuǐmǔJellyfish
螳螂tánglángPraying mantis
蟋蟀xīshuàiCricket
蝗虫huángchóngGrasshopper
蜗牛wōniúSnail
Chicken
鸭子yāziDuck
水牛shuǐniúBuffalo
黄牛huángniúCow (Yellow Cattle)
yángGoat, Sheep
鹿Deer
羚羊língyángAntelope
美洲豹měizhōubàoJaguar
zhūPig
狒狒fèifèiBaboon
猩猩xīngxingGorilla
猴子hóuziMonkey
火烈鸟huǒlièniǎoFlamingo
穿山甲chuānshānjiǎPangolin
鹈鹕tíhúPelican
鼹鼠yǎnshǔMole
yòuWeasel
浣熊huànxióngRaccoon
熊猫xióngmāoPanda
树袋熊shùdàixióngKoala
食蚁兽shíyǐshòuAnteater
蟑螂zhānglángCockroach
河狸hélíBeaver
水獭shuǐtǎOtter
éGoose
天鹅tiān’éSwan
鲑鱼guīyúSalmon
鲤鱼lǐyúCarp
萤火虫yínghuǒchóngFirefly
蝙蝠biānfúBat
鳗鱼mányúEel
海参hǎishēnSea cucumber
guànStork
蟾蜍chánchúToad
麻雀máquèSparrow
海鸥hǎi’ōuSeagull
海马hǎimǎSeahorse
鸭嘴兽yāzuǐshòuPlatypus
树懒shùlǎnSloth
Donkey
野牛yěniúBison
斑马bānmǎZebra
秃鹫tūjiùVulture
眼镜蛇yǎnjìngshéCobra
牡蛎mǔlìOyster

Chinese Measure Words for Animals in Chinese

In Chinese, measure words (量词 – liàngcí) are essential when referring to quantities of nouns—including animals in Chinese. However, each type of animal typically goes with a specific (or several specific) measure words, depending on the animal’s shape, characteristics, or common usage. Below are the most common Chinese measure words used with animals:

1. 个 (gè)

个 (gè) is one of the most common and flexible measure words in Chinese. It can be used with many types of animals, especially when you are unsure of the specific measure word. It’s often used for individual animals that aren’t particularly specialized.

Examples:

  • 三个朋友 (sān gè péngyou) – three penguins (literally: three “friends”)
  • 那个小猫 (nà gè xiǎo māo) – that little cat
  • 一个老鼠 (yī gè lǎoshǔ) – one mouse

2. 只 (zhī)

只 (zhī) is one of the most common measure words for animals in Chinese. It is used mainly for small to medium-sized animals, especially birds, cats, dogs, chickens, ducks, monkeys, etc.

Examples:

  • 一只猫 (yī zhī māo) – one cat
  • 三只狗 (sān zhī gǒu) – three dogs
  • 五只鸡 (wǔ zhī jī) – five chickens
rabbit in chinese

3. 条 (tiáo)

条 (tiáo) is a Chinese measure word used for objects that have a long and slender shape. It is quite flexible and applies to many nouns that share these physical traits. Among animals in Chinese, this measure word is often used for species like fish, snakes, eels, etc.

Examples:

  • 一条鱼 (yī tiáo yú) – one fish
  • 两条蛇 (liǎng tiáo shé) – two snakes
  • 那条龙 (nà tiáo lóng) – that dragon
fish in chinese

4. 匹 (pǐ)

匹 (pǐ) is a specialized measure word used exclusively for horses and ridable animals, such as mules or donkeys. It is not used for larger animals like elephants or cows.

Examples:

  • 一匹马 (yī pǐ mǎ) – one horse
  • 三匹骏马 (sān pǐ jùnmǎ) – three fine horses
  • 这匹黑马 (zhè pǐ hēimǎ) – this black horse

5. 头 (tóu)

头 (tóu) is used for large animals or livestock, especially those with big heads or bulky bodies, like cows, pigs, or elephants.

Examples:

  • 一头牛 (yī tóu niú) – one cow
  • 五头猪 (wǔ tóu zhū) – five pigs
  • 那头大象 (nà tóu dàxiàng) – that elephant
animal in chinese

6. 群 (qún)

群 (qún) means “a group” or “a herd/flock” and is used for animals that live or move in groups, such as birds, fish, wolves, etc. It emphasizes the collective number. It is used when referring to a collection of animals of the same species that live, move, or act together like birds, fish, wolves, and other species that travel or gather in groups.

Examples:

  • 一群鸟 (yī qún niǎo) – a flock of birds
  • 一群鱼 (yī qún yú) – a school of fish
  • 一群狼 (yī qún láng) – a pack of wolves

7. 对 (duì)

对 (duì) means “a pair” and is used for two animals that go together, often male and female, or in pairs due to their natural behavior. It can apply to birds, mammals, or any animals that pair off.

Examples:

  • 一对鸳鸯 (yī duì yuānyāng) – a pair of mandarin ducks
  • 一对鸽子 (yī duì gēzi) – a pair of pigeons
  • 一对狮子 (yī duì shīzi) – a pair of lions
bird in chinese

Learn More: 50+ Most Common Measure Words in Chinese

Sample Dialogues About Animals in Chinese

Want to have conversations about animals in Chinese? Learning basic dialogue patterns will not only expand your vocabulary but also boost your confidence when speaking in everyday situations. Let’s practice with some sample conversations on the topic of animals in Chinese below!

Dialogue 1: Favourite Animal

A: 这里有很多动物。
Zhè lǐ yǒu hěn duō dòng wù.
→ There are so many animals here.

B: 你喜欢哪种动物?
Nǐ xǐ huān nǎ zhǒng dòng wù?
→ Which animal do you like?

A: 我最喜欢大象,因为它很聪明。
Wǒ zuì xǐ huān dà xiàng, yīn wèi tā hěn cōng míng.
→ I like elephants the most because they are very smart.

elephant in chinese

Dialogue 2: Talking About Pets

A: 你家养什么宠物?
Nǐ jiā yǎng shén me chǒng wù?
→ What pet does your family have?

B: 我养了一只小狗,它叫“豆豆”。它非常活泼,也很聪明。
Wǒ yǎng le yī zhī xiǎo gǒu, tā jiào “Dòu Dòu”. Tā fēi cháng huó pō, yě hěn cōng míng.
→ I have a little dog named “Doudou.” It’s very lively and smart.

A: 哇,听起来很可爱。它喜欢玩什么?
Wa, tīng qǐ lái hěn kě ài. Tā xǐ huān wán shén me?
→ Wow, that sounds cute! What does it like to play?

B: 它喜欢追球,也喜欢和我一起散步。每天晚上我们都会去公园。
Tā xǐ huān zhuī qiú, yě xǐ huān hé wǒ yī qǐ sàn bù. Měi tiān wǎn shàng wǒ men dōu huì qù gōng yuán.
→ It likes chasing balls and going for walks with me. Every evening, we go to the park.

how to say animals in chinese

Dialogue 3: Going Fishing

A: 你以前钓过鱼吗?
Nǐ yǐ qián diào guò yú ma?
→ Have you ever gone fishing?

B: 钓过几次,但不太成功。你呢?
Diào guò jǐ cì, dàn bù tài chéng gōng. Nǐ ne?
→ A few times, but I wasn’t very successful. How about you?

A: 我很喜欢钓鱼,觉得很放松。上周末我钓到了一条大鲤鱼。
Wǒ hěn xǐ huān diào yú, jué dé hěn fàng sōng. Shàng zhōu mò wǒ diào dào le yī tiáo dà lǐ yú.
→ I really enjoy fishing—it’s so relaxing. I caught a big carp last weekend.

B: 真羡慕你!下次带我一起去吧,我也想试试。
Zhēn xiàn mù nǐ! Xià cì dài wǒ yī qǐ qù ba, wǒ yě xiǎng shì shì.
→ I’m so jealous! Take me with you next time, I want to try too.

Conclusion

Through this lesson, you’ve learned some key vocabulary and dialogue examples about animals in Chinese. This is a basic yet practical topic that comes up often in real-life conversations. Of course, animals are just one small part of the vast world of Chinese vocabulary. We hope Ni Hao Ma has brought you useful insights—stay tuned for more lessons and new words in upcoming posts!

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