冥王星
Míngwángxīng
Pluto in Chinese is 冥王星 (Míngwángxīng).
冥王星 is the name used for the dwarf planet Pluto.
Meaning: Kuiper belt object, a dwarf planet (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The name is composed of 冥 (underworld), 王 (king) and 星 (star or celestial body). The first two characters, 冥王, literally mean 'Pluto' or 'King of the Underworld' in a mythological context.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix 星 is added to the name of the deity to denote a celestial body.
How do you pronounce it?
Míngwángxīng
Did you know?
- While 冥王星 is the scientific name, some Chinese speakers use the nickname 小冥 ('Little Pluto') in casual conversation or astronomy blogs to express affection for the downgraded dwarf planet.
- In some Buddhist contexts, the term 冥 is used to describe the state of being unconscious or in a deep trance, linking the planet's name to a state of mind.
- Because Pluto is a dwarf planet, some scientific contexts might use the term 矮行星 (ǎixíngxīng) instead of its proper name, where 矮 means 'short' or 'dwarf'.
Examples in context
- 俄羅斯比冥王星大。Russia is larger than Pluto.Tatoeba #4272249 by egg0073, translation #3517312 by shekitten
- 當我在你這個年紀時，冥王星是行星。When I was your age, Pluto was a planet.Tatoeba #4272250 by egg0073, translation #2182 by Zifre
- 冥王星是太阳系的行星之一。Pluto is one of the planets in the solar system.
- 你听说过冥王星吗？Have you heard of Pluto?
- 冥王星在太陽系邊緣。Míngwángxīng zài tàiyángxì biānyuán.Pluto is at the edge of the solar system.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are discussing astronomy in a library.
- 伟 Wei妳知道冥王星是什麼嗎？Nǐ zhīdào Míngwángxīng shì shénme ma?Do you know what Pluto is?
- 梓涵 Zihan我知道，它是一顆矮行星。Wǒ zhīdào, tā shì yī kē ǎixíngxīng.I know, it is a dwarf planet.
- 伟 Wei妳真博學。Nǐ zhēn bóxué.You are so knowledgeable.
- 梓涵 Zihan只是因為我喜歡天文。Zhǐshì yīnwèi wǒ xǐhuān tiānwén.It's just because I love astronomy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pluto” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
