汪汪叫
wāngwāng jiào
In Chinese, to bark is expressed as 汪汪叫 (wāngwāng jiào). Wiktionary also lists 吠 (fèi).
Meaning: to make a loud noise (dogs) (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 汪汪叫 | wāngwāng jiào |
| 吠 | fèi |
The phrase is used to describe the action of a dog making a loud noise. While 吠 can also mean to bark, it can also function as a noun to describe a short, loud, explosive utterance.
What does it mean word for word?
汪汪叫 is an onomatopoeic reduplication where 汪汪 mimics the sound a dog makes when barking, and 叫 means to cry or call.
Which one should you use?
汪汪叫 is the common, descriptive way to say a dog is barking, whereas 吠 is a more formal or literary verb for barking.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
吠 is a formal character used in more formal, written or classical contexts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The character 叫 can be used to describe a dog barking, or more generally, it can mean to call or to shout.
How do you pronounce it?
wāngwāng jiào
Did you know?
- The word 吠 shares an ancient ancestral root with the Mizo word bauh, suggesting a common linguistic origin from Proto-Sino-Tibetan.
- In Chinese internet slang, the term 狗吠 'dog barking' is sometimes used metaphorically to describe pointless or noisy complaining by people online.
- While 汪汪叫 describes the sound, the word 叫 is a linguistic 'wildcard' that can mean to bark, to scream, to call or even to be named.
Examples in context
- 狗吠得很大声The dog barks loudly
- 狗对陌生人叫The dog barks at strangers
- 狗一直汪汪叫个不停The dog keeps barking
- 狗突然大声地吠了起来，把我们吓了一跳The dog startled us with a sudden loud bark.
- 那只小狗在汪汪叫。Nà zhī xiǎogǒu zài wāngwāng jiào.That little dog is barking.
- 邻居的狗一直在汪汪叫。Línjū de gǒu yīzhí zài wāngwāng jiào.The neighbor's dog keeps barking.
- 听到它汪汪叫，我很害怕。Tīng dào tā wāngwāng jiào, wǒ hěn hàipà.I am very scared hearing it bark.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are walking in a park and hear a noise.
- 志强 Zhiqiang那边有一只狗在汪汪叫。Nàbiān yǒu yī zhī gǒu zài wāngwāng jiào.There is a dog barking over there.
- 梓涵 Zihan它是对谁汪汪叫呢？Tā shì duì shéi wāngwāng jiào ne?Who is it barking at?
- 志强 Zhiqiang它好像在对着路人叫。Tā hǎoxiàng zài duìzhe lùrén jiào.It seems to be barking at passersby.
- 梓涵 Zihan那我们快走吧。Nà wǒmen kuài zǒu ba.Then let's walk quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bark” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 吠, CC BY-SA 4.0.
