41 Dog Breeds in Mandarin Chinese | Other Dog-Related Vocabulary!

Other than cats, small birds, voles, mice, and some insects… Who doesn’t love dogs?

Our furry friends have long been known to be man’s best friends, and today they’ll even help us learn Mandarin Chinese.

In this post we’ll go over the name of various dog breeds in Chinese, including dog breeds from China itself as well as the more internationally renowned breeds.

We’ll also be offering some more general terminology and interesting trivia here and there.

As usual, you will be able to learn both the Chinese Characters that make each name and their accompanying pinyin at the same time. This way you’ll be able to grasp both the unique characters and practice your pronunciation.

So, let’s start off by going over Chinese breeds of dogs.

Chinese Dogs

Believe it or not, few cultures have such a dedicated history with dogs as China. For over 7000 years the
Chinese people and their furry friends have worked together, hunted together, and even been royalty
together… And yes, it’s true, Chinese dogs have also been eaten from time to time.

Chinese dog breeds range from dedicated guardians to herders and even dedicated royal
companions. As such China’s dog breeds are known for their variety, and you’ll find some of the most
endearing breeds in the world in China.

Pug | 巴哥 | bāgē
Pugs are believed to have originated as early as 400 B.C. in China. So not only are Pugs adorable, they are also some of the oldest dogs in the world!

Pekingese | 京巴狗 | jīng bā gǒu
According to local folklore, the Pekingese is believed to be a Lion shrunk down by Buddha himself! Now, that may or may not be true (it isn’t), but the long history of the Pekingese as companion pets to the royalty isn’t any less fancy.

Shih Tzu | 西施犬 | xīshīquǎn
The Shih Tzu is another breed famous for its similarity to lions, its name is even derived from Lion!

Shar-Pei | 沙皮狗 | shāpígǒu
Also known as ‘Bone Mouth’, over 2000 years ago, Shar-Peis were dedicated hunting dogs. However, modern Shar-Pei mostly come from American breeders.

Chow Chow | 松狮犬 | sōngshīquǎn
Believe it or not, these fluffy pals were also guarding dogs back in their heyday. They’re not exactly the scariest-looking dogs on this list!

Chinese Crested | 中国冠毛犬 | zhōngguó guān máo quǎn
Nobody is quite sure where the Chinese Crested dog comes from, but it’s unlikely it came from China. The most common theory is that hairless dogs from Africa arrived in China and were bred with local dogs.

Xiasi Dog | 下司犬 | xiàsīquǎn
This breed of dog is native to Guizhou province. There’s a deep-rooted belief in Guizhou that Xiasis can bring wealth to your family.

Kunming Wolfdog | 昆明狼 | kūnmíng láng
Also known as the Chinese German Shepherd, the Kunming Wolfdog is one of the youngest Chinese breeds on this list. They only started appearing in the 50s, so they aren’t even a hundred years old. If you see a police dog in China, it’ll most likely be a Kunming Wolfdog.

Japanese Chin | 日本下巴 | rìběn xiàbā
While the Chin might have become popular in Japan, most experts believe the breed is in fact Chinese. Legend has it that Chinese Emporers gifted a few to Japanese royalty back in the day which is why they’re commonly seen in both nations.

Formosan Mountain Dog | 高砂 | gāoshā
Can you believe this dog breed is over 20,000 years old? That’s pretty ancient. Originally from Taiwan.

Chongqing | 重庆犬 | chóngqìng quǎn
The Chongqing has become a rare dog with time, but it has been present in China for well over 2,000 years. As you might have guessed, this dog comes from the city of Chongqing.

Lhasa Apso | 拉萨阿普索 | lāsà ā pǔ suǒ
One of many dog breeds originating in Tibet. In a similar fashion to the Chow Chow, these seemingly cute dogs were previously bred as guard dogs.

Dog Breeds in Chinese

Now that we’ve looked at some popular breeds that originate from China, it’s time to turn the dog vocabulary up to 11.

There’s no shortage of dogs all over the world, and you are bound to impress your Tinder date if you know the Chinese pronunciation for breeds like Golden Retriever or Poodle.

This is also a great opportunity to understand the small nuances of translations. In the above category, a lot of names were very similar or almost interchangeable in English and Chinese. However, now that we’ll be getting deep into the most traditional dog breeds you’ll come across some unexpected names for dogs.

Dog Breed	Chinese	Pinyin
Akita	秋田犬	qiūtiánquǎn
Beagle	比格犬	bǐ gé quǎn
Bloodhound	猎犬	lièquǎn
Boxer	拳师	quán shī
Bulldog	牛头	niú tóu
Chihuahua	吉娃娃	jíwáwá
Cocker Spaniel	可卡	kě kǎ
Collie	牧羊犬	mùyáng quǎn
Dachshund	短腿猎	duǎn tuǐ liè
Dalmation	斑点	bān diǎn
Doberman	杜宾	dù bīn
German Shepherd	德国牧羊犬	déguó mùyáng quǎn
Golden Retriever	金毛犬	jīnmáo quǎn
Great Dane	大丹犬	dà dān quǎn
Husky	哈斯基	hā sī jī
Labrador	拉布拉多	lā bù lā duō
Poodle	贵宾	guì bīn
Newfoundland	纽芬兰	niǔfēnlán
Mastiff	獒犬	ào quǎn
Rottweiler	罗特伟尔	luótèwéiěr
Saint Bernard	圣百纳	shèng bǎi nà
Sheepdog	牧羊	mù yáng
Spitz	斯皮茨	sī pí cí
Yorkshire Terrier	约克夏犬	yuēkè xià quǎn
Welsh Corgi	威尔士柯基犬	wēi’ěrshì kē jī quǎn
Schnauzer	雪纳瑞	xuě nà ruì
Shiba Inu	柴犬	cháiquǎn
Samoyed	萨摩耶	sàmó yé
Sheltie	谢尔蒂	xiè ěr dì

Caring for your Dog

By now you’ve got the dog breeds down. If not, make sure to add the names above to your flashcard deck.

However, we’re not done yet!

What about language related to taking care of your pup?

Animal Care	Characters	Pinyin
bone (for dog)	狗骨头	gǒu gǔtou
food bowl	饭盆	fàn pén
kennel	狗窝	gǒu wō
to breed (animals)	饲养	sì yǎng
to tame	驯化	xùn huà
to train (animals)	训练	xùn liàn
to feed	喂养	wèi yǎng
pet store	宠物店	chǒng wù diàn
muzzle (for dog)	嘴套	zuǐ tào
(animal) collar	颈圈	jǐng quān
breed (of the dog)	绰号	chuò hào
pedigree	血统	xuè tǒng
play	玩	wán

Other Dog Vocabulary

bark	吠	fèi
bite	咬人	yǎo rén
gnaw (bone)	啃	kěn
hair (animal)	毛	máo
mouth (animal)	嘴	zuǐ
paw	爪	zhuǎ
scratch	抓破	zhuā pò
sniff	闻	wén
snout	口鼻部	kǒu bí bù
whiskers	胡须	hú xū

Summary

Although dog meat restaurants are still present in China, keeping dogs as pets is quickly becoming more popular in this part of the world.

Having a dog is a definitely a symbol of wealth in China, as raising the animals as pets can be quite expensive here.

Compared to the UK, I rarely see dogs being walked here. However, when I do, I’m often quite surprised by the exotic breeds out and about on the streets.

If you’re looking for more Mandarin learning tips and resource recommendations, check out the links below.

再见!