母雞 / 母鸡
mǔjī
The Chinese for hen is 母雞 / 母鸡 (mǔjī). If unsure, use 母雞 / 母鸡.
Meaning: female chicken (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 母雞 / 母鸡 | mǔjī | |
| 雞母 / 鸡母 | ke-bú | Hokkien |
What does it mean word for word?
母 means female or mother and 雞 means chicken, so the word means female chicken.
Which one should you use?
母雞 is written in traditional characters and 母鸡 in simplified characters.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien the order is reversed, giving 雞母 / 鸡母, read ke-bú.
How do you pronounce it?
In pinyin it is mǔjī, with a third tone on the first syllable and a first tone on the second.
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, the phrase 母雞 sounds almost identical to 唔知, which means 'I do not know'.
- While most zodiac animals are mammals or reptiles, the chicken is the only bird in the twelve zodiac signs.
- The character for chicken 雞 / 鸡 is an ancient pictograph that originally depicted a bird with a prominent comb and a tail.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hen” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 母雞, CC BY-SA 4.0.
