How to say “animal” in Chinese

动物

dòngwù

animal

noun · HSK 3 · topic “Seasons and time”

“Animal” in Chinese is 动物, dòng wù: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

动物 is read dòng wù: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

dòng — 4th tonesharply falling, like “Stop!”

wù — 4th tonesharply falling, like “Stop!”

How to write it

动

dòng — move

On the right, 力 “strength”.

物

wù — thing

On the left, 牛 “ox”; on the right, 勿 wù hints at the sound.

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “动物”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 动物. Tap the sound icon to listen.

星期天我带孩子去动物园xīngqītiānwǒdàiháiziqùdòngwùyuánOn Sunday I'm taking my kid to the zoo.
请问，去动物园怎么走？qǐngwèn,qùdòngwùyuánzěnmezǒuExcuse me, how do I get to the zoo?
我想去动物园看大熊猫wǒxiǎngqùdòngwùyuánkàndàxióngmāoI want to go to the zoo to see the pandas.
奶奶家在农村，养了很多动物。nǎinaijiāzàinóngcūn,yǎnglehěnduōdòngwùGrandma lives in the countryside and keeps lots of animals.
你在动物园看见什么了？nǐzàidòngwùyuánkànjiànshénmeleWhat did you see at the zoo?
这些动物可以分为三类zhèxiēdòngwùkěyǐfēnwéisānlèiThese animals can be divided into three groups.

More words from the lesson “A weekend at the zoo”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “animal” in Chinese?

“Animal” in Chinese is 动物, pinyin dòngwù.

What does 动物 mean?

动物 (dòngwù) means “animal”.

How do you write 动物?

动物 is 2 characters: 动 (dòng) — move; 物 (wù) — thing. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 动物?

动物 is read dòngwù. Tones: dòng — fourth tone, wù — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“animal” in the lesson “A weekend at the zoo”

This word is from the topic “Seasons and time” of HSK 3. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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