貓頭鷹 / 猫头鹰
māotóuyīng
The English word "owl" is 貓頭鷹 / 猫头鹰 (māotóuyīng) in Chinese. Wiktionary also lists 夜貓子 / 夜猫子 (yèmāozi) and 鴞 / 鸮 (xiāo).
Meaning: bird (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 貓頭鷹 / 猫头鹰 | māotóuyīng | |
| 夜貓子 / 夜猫子 | yèmāozi | colloquial |
| 鴞 / 鸮 | xiāo | formal |
| 角鴟 / 角鸱 | jiǎochī | formal |
| 梟鳥 / 枭鸟 | xiāoniǎo | formal |
| 鵂鶹 / 鸺鹠 | xiūliú | formal |
| 鴟鵂 / 鸱鸺 | chīxiū | formal |
| 鴟鴞 / 鸱鸮 | chīxiāo | formal |
The primary way to refer to the bird species is 貓頭鷹 / 猫头鹰. However, the term 夜貓子 / 夜猫子 is used colloquially to describe a person who stays up late, similar to the English expression "night owl".
Which one should you use?
貓頭鷹 / 猫头鹰 refers to the bird, while 夜貓子 / 夜猫子 is a colloquialism used to describe a 'night owl' (a person who stays up late).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal, literary or scientific contexts, you may see the single character 鴞 / 鸮 or more complex terms like 角鴟 / 角鸱, 梟鳥 / 枭鸟, 鵂鶹 / 鸺鹠, 鴟鵂 / 鸱鸺 and 鴟鴞 / 鸱鸮. 夜貓子 / 夜猫子 is colloquial.
How do you pronounce it?
māotóuyīng
Did you know?
- In ancient Chinese culture, the owl represented by the character 梟 / 枭 was seen as a symbol of unfilial children who would betray or harm their own parents.
- The common name 貓頭鷹 / 猫头鹰 literally translates to 'cat-head eagle', combining 'cat' 貓 / 猫, 'head' 頭 / 头, and 'eagle' 鷹 / 鹰.
- While English uses the word 'owl' for both the bird and the late-night person, the colloquial Chinese term 夜貓子 / 夜猫子 actually uses the word for 'cat' 貓 / 猫 instead of the word for 'owl' 鷹 / 鹰.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “owl” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
