gấu mèo
[ɣəw˧˦ mɛw˨˩]word by word
The English phrase raccoon is gấu mèo in Vietnamese. Wiktionary also lists gấu trúc Mỹ.
Meaning: nocturnal omnivore living in North America, Procyon lotor (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| gấu mèo | [ɣəw˧˦ mɛw˨˩] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| gấu trúc Mỹ |
The term refers to the nocturnal omnivore living in North America, Procyon lotor.
What does it mean word for word?
The term gấu mèo is a compound of gấu (bear) and mèo (cat).
Which one should you use?
Gấu trúc Mỹ is an alternative name for raccoon, which literally translates to 'American panda'.
Did you know?
- The word gấu is used in modern Vietnamese to refer to a 'romantic partner' or 'boyfriend/girlfriend'. This slang likely evolved from the term gấu bông, which means 'teddy bear'.
- Vietnamese uses the word gấu (bear) as a generic root for several different masked or sturdy mammals, creating a family of 'bear-like' animals in the lexicon.
Examples in context
- Một con gấu mèo đang ăn trong vườn.A raccoon is eating in the garden.
- Con gấu mèo có cái đuôi rất đẹp.The raccoon has a very beautiful tail.
- Tôi thấy một con gấu mèo ở công viên.I saw a raccoon at the park.
Example conversation
Lan and Tuấn are looking at a nature book together.
- LanTuấn ơi, con gấu mèo này trông thật đáng yêu!Tuấn, this raccoon looks so cute!
- TuấnĐúng vậy, nhưng nó thường hoạt động vào ban đêm.That's true, but it is usually active at night.
- LanNó có thể ăn rất nhiều loại thức ăn.It can eat many types of food.
- TuấnLan nói đúng, nó là loài ăn tạp đấy.Lan is right, it is an omnivore.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “raccoon” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (gấu, mèo) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gấu, mèo, trúc, CC BY-SA 4.0.
