җў
žwDungan
The word for pig in Chinese is җў (žw), 豬 / 猪, 豬玀 / 猪猡, 豕 or 豬仔 / 猪仔.
Meaning: mammal of family Suidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| җў | žw | Dungan | |
| 豬玀 / 猪猡 | zhūluó | ||
| 豬 / 猪 | ti, tu | Hokkien | |
| 豬仔 / 猪仔 | ti-á, tu-á | Hokkien | |
| 豕 | shǐ | /ʂɻ̩²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /t͡sʰiː³⁵/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
obsolete |
The term refers to the mammal of the family Suidae.
Which one should you use?
The forms vary by dialect and specific meaning: 豬仔 / 猪仔 specifically means a little pig or piglet. 豕 is an archaic or obsolete term used in ancient contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
豬 / 猪 is considered a formal way to write the word for pig. In contrast, 猪猪 is an informal term that carries a cute or playful connotation similar to "piggy" in English. The term 豬仔 / 猪仔 is also used informally to mean a piglet. 豕 is an obsolete form.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the informal term for a pig is 豬仔.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Hokkien, you can create the word for a piglet by adding the suffix '仔' (á) to the word for pig, resulting in 豬仔 / 猪仔.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for җў is žw.
Did you know?
- The Chinese Zodiac uses the pig to represent the last of the twelve animals, often symbolizing wealth and honesty.
- The term 豬玀 contains a character that is onomatopoeic, mimicking the actual sound a pig makes.
- While 'pig' is a simple noun, the term 豬仔 is often used in Cantonese to describe something small or even to refer to a young person in a playful or condescending way.
Examples in context
- 我喜欢养猪，它们很可爱。I like raising pigs, they are cute.
- 宝宝，你是我的小猪猪。Baby, you are my little piggy.
- 这只猪仔真懂事，是个好宠物。This piglet is sensible, it's a good pet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pig” translations and entries 豕, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 豬, 豬玀, CC BY-SA 4.0.
