Most of us love animals, and if you’re visiting this site, you’re probably learning Mandarin Chinese. So, what does that mean?
Well, it means it’s time to produce a super-whopping-mega-list of animals in Mandarin Chinese!
Whether it’s cute little pets that can be found around our houses, Chinese zodiac animals, amphibians, birds, reptiles, insects, or bugs – this list has got you covered when it comes to Chinese animal vocabulary.
This post is rather long, so if you’re looking for something specific, check out the hyperlinks below.
- Chinese Zodiac Animals
- Common Pets
- Amphibians
- Farm Animals
- Jungle Animals
- Aquatic Animals
- Rodents
- Desert Animals
- Birds
- Reptiles
- Bugs, Insects, and Arachnids
- Miscellaneous
Chinese Zodiac Animals
The Chinese Zodiac, known in Mandarin Chinese as 生肖 (pronounced ‘shēngxiào‘) is represented by 12 different animals that you can see in the image below.
As you can see, each year is represented by a different animal, and each animal has its own different attributes. Superstition is quite prevalent in Chinese culture, so one’s horoscope can be closely linked to their Chinese Zodiac sign.
Remember that the Chinese New Year is around the end of January/beginning of February, and the exact date changes every year.
Common Pets
Although fewer people on average keep pets in China compared to some western countries, pet-keeping culture is expanding rapidly here.
The most common pet in China is the dog. According to Statista, 40% of those with a pet in China had a dog. If you want to delve deeper into dog related vocabulary in Mandarin, you can check out my other post 41 Dog Breeds in Mandarin Chinese | Other Dog-Related Vocabulary!
According to the same data, the other most common pets in China are cats (20%), fish (16%), hamster (10%), tortoise (9%), and rabbit (4%).
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
| cat | 猫 | māo |
| dog | 狗 | gǒu |
| ferret | 雪貂 | xuě diāo |
| fish | 鱼 | yú |
| gerbil | 沙鼠 | shā shǔ |
| goldfish | 金鱼 | jīnyú |
| guinea pig | 豚鼠 | túnshǔ |
| hamster | 仓鼠 | cāngshǔ |
| mouse | 老鼠 | lǎoshǔ |
| parrot | 鹦鹉 | yīngwǔ |
| rabbit | 兔子 | tù zi |
| turtle | 龟 | guī |
Amphibians
| bullfrog | 牛蛙 | niúwā |
| frog | 青蛙 | qīngwā |
| hippopotamus | 河马 | hémǎ |
| salamander | 蝾 | róng |
| toad | 蛤蟆 | hámá |
Farm Animals
| alpaca | 羊驼 | yáng tuó |
| chicken | 鸡 | jī |
| cow | 牛 | níu |
| donkey | 炉子 | lúzǐ |
| goat | 羊 | yáng |
| goose | 鹅 | é |
| llama | 大羊驼 | dà yáng tuó |
| mule | 骡子 | luózi |
| ox | 公牛 | gōngniú |
| pig | 猪 | zhū |
| sheep | 山羊 | shānyáng |
| turkey | 火鸡 | huǒ jī |
Jungle Animals
| baboon | 狒狒 | fèifèi |
| bonobo | 倭黑猩猩 | wō hēi xīngxīng |
| chimpanzee | 黑猩猩 | hēixīngxīng |
| dhole | 豺狗 | chái gǒu |
| elephant | 大象 | dà xiàng |
| gaur | 野牛 | yěniú |
| giraffe | 长颈鹿 | chángjǐnglù |
| gorilla | 大猩猩 | dà xīngxīng |
| jaguar | 美洲虎 | měizhōu hǔ |
| koala | 树袋熊 | shù dài xióng |
| leopard | 豹子 | bàozi |
| lion | 狮子 | shīzi |
| monkey | 猴子 | hóuzi |
| orangutan | 猩猩 | xīngxīng |
| pangolin | 穿山甲 | chuānshānjiǎ |
| rhino | 犀牛 | xīniú |
| sloth | 树懒 | shù lǎn |
| tiger | 老虎 | lǎohǔ |
Under the Sea and Aquatic Animals
| angelfish | 神仙鱼 | shénxiān yú |
| barracuda | 梭子鱼 | suōzi yú |
| blobfish | 水滴鱼 | shuǐdī yú |
| catfish | 鲇鱼 | nián yú |
| clownfish | 小丑鱼 | xiǎochǒu yú |
| crab | 螃蟹 | pángxiè |
| cuttlefish | 墨鱼 | mòyú |
| dolphin | 海豚 | hǎitún |
| dugong | 儒艮 | rúgěn |
| eel | 鳗鱼 | mányú |
| electric eel | 电鳗 | diàn mán |
| flounder/plaice | 鲽鱼 | dié yú |
| great white shark | 大白鲨 | dàbái shā |
| horseshoe crab | 马蹄蟹 | mǎtí xiè |
| jellyfish | 水母 | shuǐmǔ |
| lobster | 龙虾 | lóngxiā |
| manatee | 海牛 | hǎiniú |
| manta ray | 蝠鲼 | fú fèn |
| octopus | 章鱼 | zhāngyú |
| otter | 水獭 | shuǐtǎ |
| orca | 杀人鲸 | shārén jīng |
| piranha | 食人鱼 | shí rényú |
| platypus | 鸭嘴兽 | yāzuǐshòu |
| prawn | 虾 | xiā |
| pufferfish | 河豚鱼 | hétún yú |
| river dolphin | 江豚 | jiāngtún |
| seal | 海豹 | hǎibào |
| seahorse | 海马 | hǎimǎ |
| sea lion | 海狮 | hǎishī |
| shark | 鲨鱼 | shāyú |
| shrimp | 虾 | xiā |
| squid | 鱿鱼 | yóuyú |
| starfish | 海星 | hǎixīng |
| stingray | 魟鱼 | hōng yú |
| walrus | 海象 | hǎixiàng |
| whale | 鲸鱼 | jīngyú |
| wrasse | 隆头鱼 | lóng tóu yú |
Shark
| basking shark | 老沙 | lǎo shā |
| great white shark | 大白鲨 | dàbái shā |
| hammerhead shark | 锤头鲨 | chuí tóu shā |
| tiger shark | 鼬鲨 | yòu shā |
| whale shark | 鲸鲨 | jīngshā |
Rodents
| beaver | 河狸 | hé lí |
| capybara | 水豚 | shuǐ tún |
| chinchilla | 栗鼠 | lìshǔ |
| coypu | 海狸鼠 | hǎilí shǔ |
| gopher | 沙龟 | shā guī |
| lemming | 旅鼠 | lǚ shǔ |
| mole | 鼹鼠 | yǎn shǔ |
| porcupine | 豪猪 | háozhū |
| squirrel | 松鼠 | sōngshǔ |
Desert Animals
| camel | 骆驼 | luòtuó |
| dromedary | 单峰驼 | dān fēng tuó |
| meerkat | 狐獴 | hú měng |
| onager | 野驴 | yě lǘ |
| oryx | 大羚羊 | dà língyáng |
Birds
| albatross | 信天翁 | xìntiānwēng |
| cassowary | 食火鸡 | shí huǒ jī |
| cormorant | 水老鸦 | shuǐ lǎoyā |
| crane | 鹳 | guàn |
| cuckoo | 杜鹃 | dùjuān |
| duck | 鸭子 | yāzi |
| eagle | 鹰 | yīng |
| emu | 鸸鹋 | ér miáo |
| falcon | 猎鹰 | liè yīng |
| flamingo | 火烈鸟 | huǒ liè niǎo |
| grebe | 䴙䴘 | pì tī |
| goose | 鹅 | é |
| grouse | 松鸡 | sōng jī |
| heron | 苍鹭 | cāng lù |
| hornbill | 犀鸟 | xī niǎo |
| hummingbird | 蜂鸟 | fēngniǎo |
| ibis | 鹮 | huán |
| kingfisher | 翠鸟 | cuì niǎo |
| magpie | 喜鹊 | xǐquè |
| kiwi | 几维鸟 | jī wéi niǎo |
| ostrich | 鸵鸟 | tuóniǎo |
| owl | 猫头鹰 | māotóuyīng |
| peacock | 孔雀 | kǒngquè |
| pelican | 鹈鹕 | tí hú |
| penguin | 企鹅 | qì’é |
| pheasant | 野鸡 | yějī |
| plover | 鸻 | héng |
| quail | 鹌鹑 | ānchún |
| robin | 罗宾 | luō bīn |
| stork | 鹳 | guàn |
| swan | 天鹅 | tiān’é |
| toucan | 大嘴鸟 | dà zuǐ niǎo |
| turkey | 火鸡 | huǒ jī |
| vulture | 鹫 | jiù |
| woodpecker | 啄木鸟 | zhuómùniǎo |
Reptiles
| alligator | 鳄鱼 | èyú |
| bearded dragon | 胡子龙 | húzi lóng |
| chameleon | 变色龙 | biànsèlóng |
| crocodile | 鳄鱼 | èyú |
| frog | 青蛙 | qīngwā |
| gecko | 壁虎 | bìhǔ |
| iguana | 鬣蜥 | liè xī |
| komodo dragon | 科莫多龙 | kē mò duō lóng |
| lizard | 蜥蜴 | xīyì |
| salamander | 蝾 | róng |
| skink | 石龙子 | shí lóng zi |
| toad | 蟾蜍 | chánchú |
| tortoise | 乌龟 | wūguī |
| turtle | 海龟 | hǎiguī |
Snakes
| anaconda | 蟒蛇 | mǎngshé |
| cobra | 眼镜蛇 | yǎnjìngshé |
| copperhead | 三索锦蛇 | sān suǒ jǐn shé |
| python | 花蟒 | huā mǎng |
| viper | 蝰蛇 | kuí shé |
Bugs, Insects, and Arachnids
| ant | 蚂蚁 | mǎyǐ |
| bee | 蜜蜂 | mìfēng |
| beetle | 甲虫 | jiǎchóng |
| butterfly | 蝴蝶 | húdié |
| caterpillar | 毛毛虫 | máomáo chóng |
| centipede | 蜈蚣 | wúgōng |
| dragonfly | 蜻蜓 | qīngtíng |
| fly | 蝇 | yíng |
| grasshopper | 蚱蜢 | zhàměng |
| ladybird/ladybug | 瓢虫 | piáo chóng |
| mantis | 螳螂 | tángláng |
| millipede | 千足虫 | qiānzú chóng |
| mosquito | 蚊子 | wénzi |
| scorpion | 蝎子 | xiēzi |
| spider | 蜘蛛 | zhīzhū |
| tarantula | 捕鸟蛛 | bǔ niǎo zhū |
| wasp | 黄蜂 | huángfēng |
| worm | 虫子 | chóngzi |
Miscellaneous
| aardvark | 土豚 | tǔ tún |
| antelope | 羚羊 | língyáng |
| anteater | 食蚁兽 | shí yǐ shòu |
| armadillo | 犰狳 | qiú yú |
| badger | 狗獾 | gǒu huān |
| bat | 蝙蝠 | biānfú |
| boar | 野猪 | yězhū |
| coyote | 郊狼 | jiāo láng |
| fox | 狐狸 | húlí |
| kangaroo | 袋鼠 | dàishǔ |
| lemur | 狐猴 | hú hóu |
| moose | 驼鹿 | tuólù |
| panda | 熊猫 | xióngmāo |
| quokka | 短尾矮袋鼠 | duǎn wěi ǎi dàishǔ |
| polar bear | 北极熊 | běijíxióng |
| possum | 负鼠 | fù shǔ |
| raccoon | 浣熊 | huànxióng |
| reindeer | 驯鹿 | xùnlù |
| slug | 蛞蝓 | kuòyú |
| snail | 蜗牛 | wōniú |
| Tasmanian devil | 袋獾 | dài huān |
| wallaby | 小袋鼠 | xiǎo dàishǔ |
| warthog | 疣猪 | yóu zhū |
| weasel | 伶鼬 | líng yòu |
| wombat | 袋熊 | dài xióng |
| yak | 牦牛 | máoniú |
| zebra | 斑马 | bānmǎ |
Summary
Hopefully, this post offers easy access to many of the animals you’d want to know in Mandarin Chinese. You can add the vocabulary from this post into a your flashcard app so you have a much better chance at remembering it.
If you’re looking for more Mandarin learning tips and resource reviews, check out some of the posts below.
再见!
Further Reading
- 100+ MANDARIN LEARNING RESOURCES: THE FASTEST WAY TO FLUENCY
- Learn Chinese for FREE | Free Apps, Sites, Courses, and Media
- The 21 Best Apps For Learning Mandarin Chinese
- THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO LEARNING CHINESE IN CHINA
- 14 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD LEARN MANDARIN CHINESE
- STUDYING MANDARIN AT A UNIVERSITY IN CHINA: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- 100+ PODCASTS FOR LEARNING CHINESE | BEGINNER TO ADVANCED MATERIAL
- 101 TV SHOWS FOR CHINESE LEARNERS