Learn How to Speak Like Chinese Animals With These Onomatopoeia
Animals living in different parts of the world largely all "speak" the same language, yet how we humans hear, write, and vocalize those sounds varies widely depending on where we're from and which language we speak. Animal noises in Chinese are also doubly interesting given that they must adhere to sounds of preexisting words, making for some truly interesting-sounding pets (for example, Chinese dogs bark wāngwāng, not woof woof). You may also be surprised by how many others sound like their English counterparts.
Here are the Chinese onomatopoeia (拟声词 nǐ shēng cí) of some common animal noises, with the English equivalent at the end.
Bee
嗡嗡
wēng wēng
buzz
Bird
叽叽喳喳
jīji zhāzhā
tweet
Cat
喵
miāo
meow
Cow
哞哞
mōu mōu
moo
Chick
唧唧
jījī
cheep cheep
If he wasn't asleep, this pig would be saying "哼哼 hēnghēng"
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Chicken
咯咯
gēgē
chirp chirp
Cicada
知了知了
zhīliǎo zhīliǎo
chirp chirp
Crickets
口瞿口瞿
kǒu qú kǒu qú
chirp chirp
Dogs
汪汪
wāngwāng
woof woof
Ducks
嘎嘎
gāgā
quack quack
Frogs
呱呱
guāguā
croak croak
Goats and sheep
咩咩
miē miē
bleat
Mice and rats
吱吱
zhī zhī
squeak squeak
Mosquitoes
哼哼
hēng hēng
buzz buzz
Pigs
哼哼
hēnghēng
oink oink
Roosters
喔喔
wōwō
cock-a-doodle-doo
Snake
咝
sī
hiss
Furthermore, just like in English, there are also various names for the type of sounds animals make (roar, growl, hiss). Here are 10 of the most common examples:
鹤唳
hè lì
cranes whoop
虎啸
hǔ xiào
tigers roar
狼嚎
láng háo
wolves howl
鹿鸣
lù míng
deer bleat
马嘶
mǎ sī
horses neigh
犬吠
quǎn fèi
dogs bark
狮吼
shī hǒu
lions roar
熊咆
xióng páo
bears growl
猿啼
yuán tí
apes whistle
狐狸
húlí
fox... wait, what does the fox say?
READ: Where to Adopt Rescue Animals in Beijing
Photos: American Kennel Club (akc.org), pixabay.com, gif.com
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