山羊
shānyáng/ʂän⁵⁵ jɑŋ³⁵/
The English word "goat" is translated into Chinese as 山羊 (shānyáng). Wiktionary also lists 羊 (yáng).
Meaning: animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 山羊 | shānyáng | /ʂän⁵⁵ jɑŋ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) | |
| 羊 | yáng | /jɑŋ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /jɑ̃ɻ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA, 羊兒 / 羊儿) |
|
| 山羊 | soaⁿ-iûⁿ | /suã⁴⁴⁻³³ iũ²³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Sinological IPA, Kaohsiung, General Taiwanese) /suã³³ iũ²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
The term is used to identify the animal. In many general or culinary contexts, people use 羊 to refer to both goat and sheep meat.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 山羊 literally means "mountain goat".
Which one should you use?
山羊 specifically refers to a goat, whereas the shorter form 羊 is a more general term used for sheep, goats and lambs.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the term for goat is 羊. The form җүлү (žülü) is used in Dungan. The form 山羊 (soaⁿ-iûⁿ) is used in Hokkien.
How do you pronounce it?
The Hokkien form 山羊 is pronounced /ʂän⁵⁵ jɑŋ³⁵/.
Did you know?
- The character 羊 is a radical found in the word 美, which means 'beautiful'. Historians suggest this reflects an ancient ideal of a well-fed sheep as a sign of beauty.
- A specific sense of 山羊 meaning 'buck' or 'vaulting horse' was actually borrowed from the Russian word козел.
- In traditional Chinese culture, 羊 is often associated with filial piety and auspiciousness, which is why it appears in many celebratory idioms.
Examples in context
- 一个牧羊人把他一身白雪的山羊赶进被遗弃的山洞躲避暴风雪。A shepherd drove his snow-covered goat into an abandoned cave to take shelter from the blizzard.This sentence shows how to use the form 山羊 when describing a goat in a blizzard.Tatoeba #1582761 by GlossaMatik, translation #13556636 by LeviHighway
- 雖然公山羊羔經常因為無法產奶而被淘汰，但有時牠們會被閹割，並作為「閹羊」留在羊群中。這種脖子上掛著鈴鐺的「領頭羊」通常是羊群的領袖。Although the male goat kids are often culled because they will never produce milk, they are sometimes castrated instead and allowed to remain in the herd as a "wether". With a bell around its neck, such a "bellwether" is usually the leader for the rest of the herd.This sentence uses the form 山羊 to describe a leader of a herd.Tatoeba #13544338 by LeviHighway, translation #10614282 by sangelo
- 马、狮、犬、羊：这些是动物。Horse, lion, dog, goat: these are animals.This sentence uses the form 羊 to list animals.Tatoeba #943182 by U2FS, translation #943138 by mayok
- 我喜欢观赏山羊在山坡上吃草。I enjoy watching goats grazing on the hillslopes.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Yuting are visiting a farm together.
- 伟 Wei你看，那只山羊好可爱！Nǐ kàn, nà zhī shānyáng hǎo kě'ài!Look, that goat is so cute!
- 雨婷 Yuting是的，它在吃草呢。Shì de, tā zài chī cǎo ne.Yes, it is eating grass.
- 伟 Wei我们可以喂山羊吗？Wǒmen kěyǐ wèi shānyáng ma?Can we feed the goat?
- 雨婷 Yuting你应该问问农场主。Nǐ yīnggāi wènwen nóngchǎngzhǔ.You should ask the farm owner.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goat” translations and entries 山羊, 羊, 山羊, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 山羊, 羊, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
