狗
gǒu/koʊ̯²¹⁴/
The English word "dog" is translated into Mandarin as 狗 (gǒu). Wiktionary also lists 犬 (quǎn).
Meaning: animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 狗 | gǒu | /koʊ̯²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /kəu⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 犬 | quǎn | /t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /t͡ɕʰyan⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
literary |
| 狗 | káu | /kau⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese, Yongchun, Yongchun) /kau⁵⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese, Yongchun) |
Hokkien |
When you want to specify a breed, you place the breed name before the word, such as 拉布拉多狗 (Labrador dog). You can also create the word for puppy by adding the prefix 小, meaning small, to the word to get 小狗. In terms of sounds, the word 汪 is used to represent the sound a dog makes, similar to "woof" in English. For an endearing pet name, the term 旺旺 can be used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form гу is used in Dungan, and the form 狗 is used in Hokkien.
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting dogs, you should use the classifier 条 between the number and the noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 狗 is gǒu.
Did you know?
- In ancient China, a 'tiger dog' 虎狗 was recognized as a distinct category from an adult tiger and was worth a lower reward.
- The character 犬 is actually a pictograph, meaning its shape was originally designed to resemble the side profile of a dog.
- While 狗 is the common everyday word for dog, the character 犬 is often used in more formal or technical written compounds.
Examples in context
- 小心那野狗！Look out for the wild dog!This sentence is useful for seeing how to warn someone about a wild 狗.Tatoeba #1785877 by sadhen, translation #18962 by Zifre
- 你的狗在這。Your dog is here.This sentence shows how to indicate the location of a 狗.Tatoeba #3738987 by egg0073, translation #449111 by CK
- 那是一条狗。That is a dog.This sentence demonstrates how to use the classifier 条 when identifying a 狗.Tatoeba #4540555 by McMeao, translation #4538713 by mailohilohi
- 294 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junjie and Xinyi are walking in a park.
- 俊杰 Junjie你看，那隻狗好可愛。Nǐ kàn, nà zhī gǒu hǎo kě'ài.Look, that dog is so cute.
- 欣怡 Xinyi真的，牠很乖。Zhēn de, tā hěn guāi.Really, it is very well-behaved.
- 俊杰 Junjie你想帶牠回家嗎？Nǐ xiǎng dài tā huí jiā ma?Do you want to take it home?
- 欣怡 Xinyi我還沒準備好養狗。Wǒ hái méi zhǔnbèi hǎo yǎng gǒu.I am not ready to raise a dog yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dog” translations and entries 狗, 犬, 狗, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 犬, 狗, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
