māo
standard, pinyin
Cat in Chinese is māo in pinyin, written 猫 in characters. xiǎo māo means "little cat" or "kitten".
Meaning: small domestic animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Note |
|---|---|
| māo | standard, pinyin |
| xiǎo māo | casual, little cat |
In Chinese a counter word sits between a number and the noun, and for cats it is zhī, so "one cat" is yī zhī māo.
How do you pronounce it?
The high flat first tone in māo is held level, and the vowel sound is close to "mow" in "mowing".
Did you know?
- The lucky cat figure seen in shops, the beckoning cat, is called zhāocái māo in Chinese, meaning "fortune-beckoning cat".
Examples in context
- Wǒ yǒu yī zhī māo.I have a cat.
- Zhè zhī māo hěn kě'ài.This cat is very cute.
- Māo zài shāfā shàng.The cat is on the sofa.
Example conversation
Mei shows her friend Hao the stray cat she found near her apartment.
- MeiNǐ kàn, zhè shì yī zhī māo.Look, this is a cat.
- HaoTā hěn kě'ài!It is so cute!
- MeiWǒ xiǎng yǎng tā.I want to keep it.
