蝴蝶
húdié/xu³⁵ ti̯ɛ³⁵/
The English word butterfly is translated into Chinese as 蝴蝶 (húdié). If unsure, use 蝴蝶.
Meaning: insect (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蝴蝶 | húdié | /xu³⁵ ti̯ɛ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /xu³⁵ ti̯ɛɻ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA, 蝴蝶兒 / 蝴蝶儿) |
|
| 蝶仔 | ia̍h-á | /ia(ʔ)⁴⁻³³ a⁴¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Sinological IPA, Kaohsiung, General Taiwanese) /ia(ʔ)²⁴⁻² a⁵⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
| 蝴蝶 | ô͘-tia̍p | /ɔ¹³⁻²² tiap̚¹²¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Yilan, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu) /ɔ²⁴⁻³³ tiap̚⁵/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Yilan, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu) |
Hokkien |
| 尾蝶 | bóe-ia̍h, bé-ia̍h | /be⁵³⁻⁴⁴ iaʔ⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Jinjiang, Philippines, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese) /be⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ iaʔ²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Jinjiang, Philippines, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
| 尾蝶仔 | bóe-ia̍h-á, bé-ia̍h-á | /bue⁵³⁻⁵⁵ ia(ʔ)⁴⁻¹ a⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Tainan, Sinological IPA) | Hokkien |
| 蝶婆 | ia̍h-pô | Hokkien |
The word refers to the insect known as a butterfly.
What does it mean word for word?
The Mandarin term 蝴蝶 is a compound of two characters, 蝴 (hú) and 蝶 (dié), both of which are components used to denote butterflies.
Which one should you use?
In Hokkien, 蝶仔 (ia̍h-á) is used as a colloquial or diminutive way to refer to a butterfly, whereas 蝴蝶 (ô͘-tia̍p) is considered more formal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Dungan language, the word is хўте. In Hokkien, you may use 蝴蝶 (ô͘-tia̍p), 蝶仔 (ia̍h-á), 尾蝶 (bóe-ia̍h or bé-ia̍h), 尾蝶仔 (bóe-ia̍h-á or bé-ia̍h-á) or 蝶婆 (ia̍h-pô).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ô͘-tia̍p.
Did you know?
- The character 蝶 (dié) is historically related to the word 牒 (dié), which meant an 'official document' because both originally referred to flat objects.
- The way the word is written in the Dungan language, хўте, uses the Cyrillic script instead of Chinese characters.
Examples in context
- 蝴蝶飛走了。The butterfly flew away.This sentence demonstrates the movement of a 蝴蝶.Tatoeba #6017478 by xjjAstrus, translation #7805705 by sharris123
- 蝴蝶的寿命短。The life span of a butterfly is short.This sentence discusses the lifespan of a 蝴蝶.Tatoeba #5863256 by verdastelo9604, translation #1874077 by CK
- 有隻蝴蝶在廚房裏。There is a butterfly in the kitchen.This sentence describes the location of a 蝴蝶.Tatoeba #6045735 by xjjAstrus, translation #7768823 by sharris123
- 这幅画中的胡蝶形象极其生动。The image of the butterfly in this painting is extremely lifelike.
- 看，花丛中飞过一只漂亮的蝶儿！Look, a beautiful butterfly flew by in the flowers!
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junjie and Yuting are walking in a garden.
- 俊杰 Junjie你看，那隻蝴蝶好漂亮！Lí khòaⁿ, hit tsi̍t ti̍t hû-tié hó pìng-siōng!Look, that butterfly is so beautiful!
- 雨婷 Yuting真的是很漂亮，顏色很鮮艷。Tsin-siā sī chin pìng-siōng, ngián-sek chin sián-ián.It really is beautiful, the colors are very vivid.
- 俊杰 Junjie蝴蝶在花上面飛來飛去。Hû-tié tsài hue̍h nnú-tīn phē-lâi phē-khì.The butterfly is flying back and forth over the flowers.
- 雨婷 Yuting我們快點靠近一點看吧。Gún kuài-tiám kàu-tsīn it-tiám khuànn-pa.Let's get a little closer to see it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “butterfly” translations and entries 蝴蝶, 蝶仔, 蝴蝶, 尾蝶, 尾蝶仔, 蝶婆, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 蝴蝶, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
