小狗
xiǎogǒu
The Chinese word for puppy is 小狗 (xiǎogǒu).
Meaning: young dog (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 小 (xiǎo), meaning 'small' or 'little' and 狗 (gǒu), meaning 'dog'.
Which one should you use?
While 小狗 is the common term, 幼犬 is a more technical or formal term for a puppy or young dog.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun 小狗 does not change its form to indicate plurality. The number of puppies is indicated by adding a measure word and a number, such as 两只小狗 (two puppies).
How do you pronounce it?
xiǎogǒu
Did you know?
- The word 狗 (gǒu) is often used in the slang term 单身狗 (dānshēn gǒu), meaning 'single dog', to describe someone who is jokingly miserable about being unmarried.
- In Chinese, people often refer to their puppies as 毛孩子 (máo háizi), which translates to 'fur children'.
- In Chinese internet slang, you might see people refer to cute things as 萌 (méng), a word borrowed from Japanese to describe something 'moe' or irresistibly cute, often applied to 小狗.
Examples in context
- 這是我見過最可愛的小狗。This is the cutest puppy I've ever seen.This sentence uses 小狗 to describe the cutest puppy seen.Tatoeba #1423386 by cienias, translation #1423277 by CK
- 他愛他的狗，那隻小狗真的很可愛。He loves his puppy. His puppy is really adorable.This sentence uses 小狗 to express affection for a puppy.Tatoeba #708734 by egg0073, translation #5330278 by eamost
- 小狗擺著尾巴。The puppy was wagging its tail.This sentence uses 小狗 to describe a puppy wagging its tail.Tatoeba #349767 by nickyeow, translation #13591462 by LeviHighway
- 她的小狗非常聪明。Her puppy is very smart.
- 这只狗宝宝真可爱！This puppy is so adorable!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a pet shop, looking at a new pet.
- 佳怡 Jiayi這隻小狗很可愛。Zhè zhī xiǎogǒu hěn kě'ài.This puppy is very cute.
- 浩然 Haoran你想養一隻小狗嗎？Nǐ xiǎng yǎng yī zhī xiǎogǒu ma?Do you want to raise a puppy?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想養。它太乖了。Wǒ xiǎng yǎng. Tā tài guāi le.I want to. It is so well-behaved.
- 浩然 Haoran那你可以帶它回家。Nà nǐ kěyǐ dài tā huí jiā.Then you can take it home.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “puppy” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
