Animals in Chinese: 100 Animal Names with Pinyin & Audio

Q: How do you say animal in Chinese?

Animal in Chinese is 动物 (dòngwù): 动 dòng = to move, 物 wù = thing, literally 'moving thing'. A pet is 宠物 (chǒngwù), a zoo is 动物园 (dòngwùyuán, 'animal garden'), and wildlife is 野生动物 (yěshēng dòngwù).

Q: How do you say cat and dog in Chinese?

Cat is 猫 (māo) and dog is 狗 (gǒu). A kitten is 小猫 (xiǎomāo) and a puppy is 小狗 (xiǎogǒu), where 小 (xiǎo, 'small/little') is added in front. Note that 猫 (māo) sounds like a cat's meow, which makes it easy to remember.

Q: What are the 12 Chinese zodiac animals?

In order, the 12 Chinese zodiac animals are 鼠 (shǔ, rat), 牛 (niú, ox), 虎 (hǔ, tiger), 兔 (tù, rabbit), 龙 (lóng, dragon), 蛇 (shé, snake), 马 (mǎ, horse), 羊 (yáng, goat/sheep), 猴 (hóu, monkey), 鸡 (jī, rooster), 狗 (gǒu, dog), and 猪 (zhū, pig). Each year of the 12-year cycle is named after one of them.

Q: What measure word do you use with animals in Chinese?

The default measure word for most animals is 只 (zhī) — 一只猫 (one cat), 一只鸟 (one bird). But some animals take their own: horses use 匹 (pǐ, 一匹马), large livestock like cattle use 头 (tóu, 一头牛), and long-bodied animals like fish, snakes, and dogs use 条 (tiáo, 一条鱼, 一条狗). When in doubt, 只 is usually understood.

Q: How do you say panda in Chinese?

Panda is 熊猫 (xióngmāo): 熊 xióng = bear, 猫 māo = cat, literally 'bear-cat'. The giant panda is 大熊猫 (dà xióngmāo, 'big bear-cat') and the red panda is 小熊猫 (xiǎo xióngmāo, 'small bear-cat').

Quick answer: Animal in Chinese is 动物 (dòngwù, “moving thing”). The two you'll use most are 猫 (māo, cat) and 狗 (gǒu, dog). Below are 100 animals with characters, pinyin, English, and a 🔊 button to hear each one — grouped into pets & farm, wild mammals, birds, sea creatures, and insects, plus the 12 zodiac animals. Tap to listen.

Jump to a section: Zodiac · Pets & Farm · Wild Mammals · Birds · Sea & Water · Insects & Small · More Animals · Measure Words

The 12 Zodiac Animals (生肖)

You may not personally believe in the Chinese system of birth year animal signs or Chinese zodiac (生肖 shēngxiào), but it is widely recognized in Chinese culture. Understanding these terms and phrases can be helpful in conversations—especially if someone talks about their birth year or animal sign.

The Chinese zodiac runs in a 12-year cycle, each year named for one animal. These are the single-character “classical” names:

#	Chinese	Pinyin	English
1	鼠	shǔ	rat / mouse
2	牛	niú	ox / cow
3	虎	hǔ	tiger
4	兔	tù	rabbit
5	龙	lóng	dragon
6	蛇	shé	snake
7	马	mǎ	horse
8	羊	yáng	goat / sheep
9	猴	hóu	monkey
10	鸡	jī	rooster / chicken
11	狗	gǒu	dog
12	猪	zhū	pig

Some people associate these birth year animals with personality traits or compatibility, while others treat them simply as tradition. Although you may not believe, recognizing the terms can help you understand conversations and show cultural awareness.

Pets & Farm Animals

#	Chinese	Pinyin	English
13	猫	māo	cat
14	小狗	xiǎogǒu	puppy
15	小猫	xiǎomāo	kitten
16	仓鼠	cāngshǔ	hamster
17	兔子	tùzi	rabbit (pet)
18	乌龟	wūguī	turtle / tortoise
19	金鱼	jīnyú	goldfish
20	鸭子	yāzi	duck
21	鹅	é	goose
22	驴	lǘ	donkey
23	绵羊	miányáng	sheep
24	山羊	shānyáng	goat

Wild Mammals

#	Chinese	Pinyin	English
25	狮子	shīzi	lion
26	老虎	lǎohǔ	tiger
27	大象	dàxiàng	elephant
28	熊猫	xióngmāo	panda
29	熊	xióng	bear
30	狼	láng	wolf
31	狐狸	húli	fox
32	鹿	lù	deer
33	长颈鹿	chángjǐnglù	giraffe
34	斑马	bānmǎ	zebra
35	河马	hémǎ	hippopotamus
36	犀牛	xīniú	rhinoceros
37	袋鼠	dàishǔ	kangaroo
38	考拉	kǎolā	koala
39	猩猩	xīngxing	ape / orangutan
40	猴子	hóuzi	monkey
41	松鼠	sōngshǔ	squirrel
42	蝙蝠	biānfú	bat

Birds

#	Chinese	Pinyin	English
43	鸟	niǎo	bird
44	麻雀	máquè	sparrow
45	鸽子	gēzi	pigeon / dove
46	老鹰	lǎoyīng	eagle / hawk
47	猫头鹰	māotóuyīng	owl
48	孔雀	kǒngquè	peacock
49	鹦鹉	yīngwǔ	parrot
50	天鹅	tiān'é	swan
51	企鹅	qǐ'é	penguin
52	燕子	yànzi	swallow
53	鸵鸟	tuóniǎo	ostrich
54	火烈鸟	huǒlièniǎo	flamingo
55	乌鸦	wūyā	crow
56	公鸡	gōngjī	rooster

Sea & Water Animals

#	Chinese	Pinyin	English
57	鱼	yú	fish
58	鲨鱼	shāyú	shark
59	鲸鱼	jīngyú	whale
60	海豚	hǎitún	dolphin
61	章鱼	zhāngyú	octopus
62	螃蟹	pángxiè	crab
63	虾	xiā	shrimp
64	龙虾	lóngxiā	lobster
65	水母	shuǐmǔ	jellyfish
66	海星	hǎixīng	starfish
67	海龟	hǎiguī	sea turtle
68	海豹	hǎibào	seal
69	青蛙	qīngwā	frog
70	鳄鱼	èyú	crocodile / alligator
71	海马	hǎimǎ	seahorse
72	乌贼	wūzéi	squid / cuttlefish

Insects & Small Creatures

#	Chinese	Pinyin	English
73	昆虫	kūnchóng	insect
74	蚂蚁	mǎyǐ	ant
75	蜜蜂	mìfēng	bee
76	蝴蝶	húdié	butterfly
77	蜘蛛	zhīzhū	spider
78	蚊子	wénzi	mosquito
79	苍蝇	cāngying	fly
80	蟑螂	zhāngláng	cockroach
81	蜻蜓	qīngtíng	dragonfly
82	瓢虫	piáochóng	ladybug
83	蟋蟀	xīshuài	cricket
84	蚯蚓	qiūyǐn	earthworm
85	毛毛虫	máomaochóng	caterpillar
86	螳螂	tángláng	praying mantis

More Animals

#	Chinese	Pinyin	English
87	骆驼	luòtuo	camel
88	豹子	bàozi	leopard
89	猎豹	lièbào	cheetah
90	浣熊	huànxióng	raccoon
91	刺猬	cìwei	hedgehog
92	壁虎	bìhǔ	gecko
93	蜥蜴	xīyì	lizard
94	变色龙	biànsèlóng	chameleon
95	水獭	shuǐtǎ	otter
96	北极熊	běijíxióng	polar bear
97	树懒	shùlǎn	sloth
98	羊驼	yángtuó	alpaca / llama
99	蟾蜍	chánchú	toad
100	蝎子	xiēzi	scorpion

Which Measure Word Goes with Animals?

Chinese counts nouns with a measure word between the number and the noun. For animals the default is 只 (zhī), but a few take their own:

Measure word	Used for	Example	Meaning
只 (zhī)	Most animals — birds, cats, small & medium animals	一只猫 / 三只鸟	one cat / three birds
匹 (pǐ)	Horses	一匹马	one horse
头 (tóu)	Large livestock — cattle, pigs	一头牛 / 两头猪	one ox / two pigs
条 (tiáo)	Long-bodied animals — fish, snakes, dogs	一条鱼 / 一条狗	one fish / one dog

Study tip: notice the recurring parts — 鼠 (shǔ) appears in 松鼠 (squirrel), 仓鼠 (hamster), and 袋鼠 (kangaroo, “pouch-rat”); 海 (hǎi, sea) starts 海豚, 海龟, 海星, 海豹, 海马; and 鱼 (yú, fish) ends 鲨鱼, 鲸鱼, 章鱼, 鳄鱼. Learning these building blocks lets you guess new animals.

Hear every name in the Interactive Pinyin Chart, drill them as flashcards, and build sentences like “I have two cats” in our English to Chinese Translator.

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