老鼠
lǎoshǔ/lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
The everyday Chinese word for mouse is 老鼠 (lǎoshǔ). If unsure, use 老鼠. Wiktionary also lists 小鼠 (xiǎoshǔ) and 鼷 (xī).
Meaning: rodent of the genus Mus (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 老鼠 | lǎoshǔ | /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /nau⁵³ su⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 小鼠 | xiǎoshǔ | /ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /siːu̯³⁵ syː³⁵/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 鼷 | xī | /ɕi⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /hɐi̯²¹/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
literary |
| 鳥鼠 / 鸟鼠 | niáu-chhí, niáu-chhú | Hokkien | |
| 鼠 | chhí, chhú | /t͡sʰu⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Tainan, Penang, Sinological IPA, Magong) /t͡sʰu⁴⁴⁵/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Tainan, Penang, Sinological IPA, Magong) |
Hokkien |
| 錢鼠 / 钱鼠 | chîⁿ-chhí, chîⁿ-chhú | Hokkien | |
| 老鼠 | ló͘-chhír, ló͘-chhí, niáu-chhú, niáu-chhí, niáu-chhír | /lɔ⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡sʰɯ⁵⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Quanzhou, Sinological IPA) /lɔ⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡sʰi⁵⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Jinjiang, Philippines, Sinological IPA) |
Hokkien |
| 耗子 | hàozi | /xɑʊ̯⁵¹ d͡z̥ɹ̩¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /xau²¹³ t͡sɹ̩⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
dialectal |
老鼠 is the general word for a mouse and is also used for rats.
Which one should you use?
小鼠 (xiǎoshǔ) is used in scientific contexts, for example for laboratory mice. 鼠 on its own is the root for mouse or rat and appears in compound words and formal biological names. 耗子 (hàozi) is a dialect word for a mouse.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
鼷 (xī) is a literary word for a mouse and is rarely used in modern spoken Chinese.
Is it said differently in some regions?
For a computer mouse, mainland China uses 鼠标 and Taiwan uses 滑鼠. In Hokkien, forms include 鳥鼠 / 鸟鼠 and 老鼠 and Dungan speakers write лочў.
How do you pronounce it?
The Mandarin IPA is /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/. Both syllables have the dipping third tone, but the first one is said with a rising tone because it comes before another third tone.
Did you know?
- The character 鼠 shares a phonetic relationship in some historical reconstructions with words meaning 'pain' or 'evil spirit'.
- The phrase 鼠胆 refers to a mouse's gallbladder and is used to describe someone who is extremely cowardly.
- In the Chinese zodiac, the 鼠 is the first animal in the twelve-year cycle, symbolizing wit and wealth.
Examples in context
- 猫正在吃老鼠。The cat is eating the mouse.Here 猫 means cat and 吃 means to eat.Tatoeba #2662461 by iMaple, translation #1346609 by marcelostockle
- 桌子下有老鼠。There is a mouse under the table.Here 桌子 means table and 有 means there is.Tatoeba #13971953 by LeviHighway, translation #13971609 by rul
- 老鼠是胆小的生物。A mouse is a timid creature.Here 胆小 means timid.Tatoeba #8795175 by crescat, translation #35792 by CM
- 我需要一只鼠标来操作电脑。I need a mouse to operate the computer.
- 我家里有只老鼠。There's a mouse in my house.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junjie and Zihan are in the kitchen.
- 俊杰 Junjie梓涵，你看那里有一只老鼠！Zǐhán, nǐ kàn nàlǐ yǒu yī zhī lǎoshǔ!Zihan, look, there is a mouse over there!
- 梓涵 Zihan天哪，快把老鼠赶走！Tiān nǎ, kuài bǎ lǎoshǔ gǎn zǒu!Oh my god, hurry and drive the mouse away!
- 俊杰 Junjie它跑进橱柜里了。Tā pǎo jìn chúguì lǐ le.It ran into the cupboard.
- 梓涵 Zihan我们得赶紧买个捕鼠笼。Wǒmen děi gǎnjǐn mǎi gè bǔshǔ lóng.We need to buy a mouse trap quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mouse” translations and entries 老鼠, 小鼠, 鼷, 鼠, 老鼠, 耗子, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 鼠, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
