鼻屎
bíshǐ
The English word "booger" is translated into Chinese as 鼻屎 (bíshǐ). If unsure, use 鼻屎. Wiktionary also lists 乾鼻涕 / 干鼻涕 (gān bítì) and 鼻牛兒 / 鼻牛儿 (bíniúr).
Meaning: a piece of solid or semi-solid mucus (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 鼻屎 | bíshǐ |
| 乾鼻涕 / 干鼻涕 | gān bítì |
| 鼻牛兒 / 鼻牛儿 | bíniúr |
| 鼻牛 | bíniú |
What does it mean word for word?
The word 鼻屎 is composed of 鼻, meaning nose and 屎, meaning excrement or feces.
Which one should you use?
While 鼻屎 refers specifically to solid or dried boogers, 鼻涕 refers to liquid nasal mucus or a runny nose. If you want to be more descriptive, you can use 乾鼻涕 (dry nasal mucus) instead of the more blunt 鼻屎. Another informal term is 鼻屎球, which is used to emphasize a round-shaped booger.
How do you pronounce it?
bíshǐ
Did you know?
- In many Chinese-speaking regions, children might use the term 鼻牛 (bíniú), which literally translates to 'nose cow', as a playful or euphemistic way to refer to a booger.
- While the character 屎 means 'feces', using 鼻屎 is not considered as socially taboo in Chinese as using a word for excrement would be in English.
- The phrase 鼻牛儿 (bíniúr) adds a diminutive suffix common in Northern dialects, making the 'nose cow' sound even smaller and cuter.
Examples in context
- 用纸擦一下，别留鼻屎。(Yòng zhǐ cā yīxià, bié liú bí shǐ.)Use a tissue and don't leave any boogers behind.
- 他的鼻屎很大。Tā de bíshǐ hěn dà.His booger is very big.
- 快把鼻屎抠出来。Kuài bǎ bíshǐ kōu chūlái.Quick, pick that booger out.
- 不要用手挖鼻屎。Búyào yòng shǒu wā bíshǐ.Don't use your hands to pick your nose.
Example conversation
Zhiqiang is talking to Jiayi in the living room.
- 志强 Zhiqiang佳怡，你鼻子里有鼻屎。Jiāyí, nǐ bízi lǐ yǒu bísǐ.Jiayi, you have a booger in your nose.
- 佳怡 Jiayi真的吗？怎么这么尴尬。Zhēnde ma? Zěnme zhème gāngà.Really? How embarrassing.
- 志强 Zhiqiang快去洗手间处理一下。Kuài qù xǐshǒujiān chǔlǐ yíxià.Quickly go to the bathroom and deal with it.
- 佳怡 Jiayi好的，我马上就回来。Hǎode, wǒ mǎshàng jiù huílái.Okay, I'll be right back.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “booger” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
