蝙蝠
biānfú/pi̯ɛn⁵⁵ fu³⁵/
In Chinese, the word for bat is 蝙蝠 (biānfú). Wiktionary also lists 飛鼠 / 飞鼠 (fēishǔ) and 伏翼 (fúyì).
Meaning: small flying mammal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蝙蝠 | biānfú | /pi̯ɛn⁵⁵ fu³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /pi̯ɛn⁵⁵ fuɻʷ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA, 蝙蝠兒 / 蝙蝠儿) |
|
| 飛鼠 / 飞鼠 | fēishǔ | ||
| 伏翼 | fúyì | ||
| 服翼 | fúyì | ||
| 夜燕 | yèyàn | ||
| 蝙蝠 | pian-hok, pián-hok | /piɛn⁵³⁻⁴⁴ hɔk̚³²/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese, Magong) /piɛn⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ hɔk̚⁵/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese, Magong) |
Hokkien |
| 密婆 | bi̍t-pô | /bit̚⁵⁴⁻³² po²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Yilan, Kinmen, Penang, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Sanxia, Yongchun) /bit̚⁴³⁻²¹ po²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Yilan, Kinmen, Penang, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Sanxia, Yongchun) |
Hokkien |
| 夜婆 | iā-pô | /ia²²⁻¹² po²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Tainan, Kinmen, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu) /ia³³⁻¹¹ po²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Tainan, Kinmen, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu) |
Hokkien |
| 夜婆仔 | iā-pô-á | Hokkien | |
| 日婆 | ji̍t-pô, li̍t-pô | /lit̚⁴⁻³² po²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei, Jinjiang, Philippines, Sinological IPA) /lit̚²⁴⁻² po²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei, Jinjiang, Philippines, Sinological IPA) |
Hokkien |
| 月婆 | ge̍h-pô | /ɡə(ʔ)⁵⁴⁻¹² po²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Kinmen, Sinological IPA) | Hokkien |
| 仙鼠 | sian-chhí, sian-chhú | Hokkien |
The term 蝙蝠 is the standard and most common way to refer to the animal in both spoken and written Mandarin.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 蝙蝠 is composed of 蝙, referring to a bat-like creature and 蝠, which specifically means bat.
Which one should you use?
While 蝙蝠 is the standard term, 伏翼 is a more formal or scientific term often used in biological contexts. 夜燕 is a poetic or descriptive term that literally means 'night swallow'. Do not confuse these with 飞鼠, which specifically refers to flying squirrels.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The Hokkien forms include 蝙蝠, 密婆, 夜婆, 夜婆仔, 日婆, 月婆 and 仙鼠.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for 蝙蝠 is pian-hok, pián-hok.
Did you know?
- The word 蝙蝠 is a symbol of happiness and good fortune in Chinese culture because 蝠 sounds exactly like the word for 'blessings' or 'good luck'.
- The word 蝠 (bat) is a cognate of the Mizo word bâk, showing a distant linguistic link between the two languages.
- In some Hokkien dialects, bats are referred to as 夜婆 or 日婆, which literally translates to 'night woman' or 'day woman'.
Examples in context
- 那是只蝙蝠吗？Is that a bat?This sentence is useful for asking if an animal is a 蝙蝠.Tatoeba #9970068 by GlossaMatik, translation #67124 by CK
- 请小心！有只蝙蝠飞过来了Please be careful! A bat is flying over here
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bat” translations and entries 蝙蝠, 蝙蝠, 密婆, 夜婆, 日婆, 月婆, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 密婆, 蝙蝠, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
