Animals in Chinese
This list features basic animal vocabulary in Chinese for beginner to intermediate learners. It includes common pet names, farm animals and wild species to help you build practical vocabulary for everyday conversation and reading.
- 动物 dòngwù — animal; a living creature (not a plant)
- 狗 gǒu — dog (animal)
- 猫 māo — cat; domestic cat (CL: 隻|只[zhi1])
- 鱼 yú — fish; (used in names of various aquatic animals not strictly fish, e.g. abalone 鲍鱼, crocodile 鳄鱼, octopus 章鱼)
- 鸟 diǎo — penis (slang, vulgar) — variant of 屌 diāo
- 马 mǎ — horse; CL: 匹 (pi3); also the cavalry piece in xiangqi (Chinese chess) — corresponds to the knight in Western chess
- 牛 niú — ox; cow; bull
- 羊 yáng — sheep; goat
- 猪 zhū — hog; pig; swine
- 兔子 tùzi — hare; rabbit
- 老鼠 lǎoshǔ — rat; mouse
- 鸡 jī — fowl; chicken
- 鸭 yā — duck (domestic bird); (CL: 隻|只[zhi1])
- 蜜蜂 mìfēng — bee; honeybee
- 蝴蝶 húdié — butterfly
- 青蛙 qīngwā — frog
- 蛇 yí — snake; serpent
- 龟 guī — tortoise; turtle
- 鼠 shǔ — rat; mouse (bound form, used in compounds and some set phrases)
- 狼 láng — wolf
- 狐 hú — fox
- 狮子 shīzǐ — Leo (astrological sign)
- 老虎 lǎohǔ — tiger
- 熊 xióng — bear (animal)
- 猴子 hóuzǐ — monkey
- 大象 dàxiàng — elephant
- 长颈鹿 chángjǐnglù — giraffe
- 斑马 bānmǎ — zebra
- 鳄鱼 èyú — alligator; crocodile
- 海豚 hǎitún — dolphin (a marine mammal of the family Delphinidae)
- 鲸鱼 jīngyú — whale
- 章鱼 zhāngyú — octopus
- 海龟 hǎiguī — turtle; (general term for turtles and tortoises)
- 螃蟹 pángxiè — crab
- 虾 há — used only in the compound 蝦蟆/虾蟆 (toad)
- 蛤蜊 gélí — clam
- 乌龟 wūguī — tortoise; turtle (land or freshwater reptile with a shell)
- 孔雀 kǒngquè — peafowl; peacock
- 鹦鹉 yīngwǔ — parrot
- 鸽子 gēzi — pigeon; dove; various birds of the family Columbidae
- 麻雀 máquè — sparrow
- 燕子 yànzi — swallow (the bird)
- 驴 lǘ — donkey
- 骆驼 luòtuó — camel; (CL: 峰, 匹, 頭|头)
- 鹿 lù — deer
- 貂 diāo — sable; marten (genus Martes)
- 松鼠 sōngshǔ — squirrel
- 刺猬 cìwei — hedgehog