老鼠
lǎoshǔ/lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
The English word 'rat' is translated into Chinese as 老鼠 (lǎoshǔ). Wiktionary also lists 鼠 (shǔ) and 大鼠 (dàshǔ).
Meaning: rodent (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 老鼠 | lǎoshǔ | /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /nau⁵³ su⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 鼠 | shǔ | /ʂu²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /su⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 大鼠 | dàshǔ | /tä⁵¹ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /tä⁵¹ ʂuɻʷ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 鳥鼠 / 鸟鼠 | iáu-chhú / niáu-chhí / niáu-chhír | Hokkien | |
| 鼡 | shǔ | uncommon, variant |
The term 老鼠 is used generally for any small rodent, including both rats and mice.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 老鼠 is composed of 老 (old) and 鼠 (rodent/rat).
Which one should you use?
While 老鼠 is the common term for both rats and mice, 鼠 is the more formal or biological term used in scientific or written contexts. The term 鼠 is used to refer to rats in general.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, the word лочў is used. In Hokkien, you may use 鳥鼠 / 鸟鼠.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is lǎoshǔ. In IPA, it is /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/.
Did you know?
- In some dialects like Hokkien, the word for 'rat' is 鳥鼠, where the first character literally means 'bird'.
- In the Chinese zodiac, the rat 鼠 is the first animal in the cycle, symbolizing wealth and fertility.
- The character for 'rat', 鼠, is a pictogram that depicts the animal's open mouth and teeth on top, with its feet and tail on the bottom.
Examples in context
- 你認為你是什麼野獸？獵犬還是老鼠？What beast dost thou think thou art? Art thou a hound or a rat?This sentence uses 老鼠 to contrast a hound with a rat.Tatoeba #13109809 by LeviHighway, translation #10482352 by nonong
- 你如果遭受老鼠困擾，可以使用超音波來嚇跑牠們。If you have rat or mouse problems, you can scare them off with ultrasound.This sentence uses 老鼠 to discuss problems caused by rodents.Tatoeba #13246060 by LeviHighway, translation #8958422 by DJ_Saidez
- 猫吃了老鼠。The cat ate the rat.This sentence uses 老鼠 to describe a cat eating a rat.Tatoeba #2333759 by anndiana, translation #7779325 by sharris123
- 这个城市有很多老鼠。This city has a lot of rats.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yuting and Wei are in the kitchen.
- 雨婷 Yuting快看！那里有一只老鼠！Kuài kàn! Nàlǐ yǒu yì zhī lǎoshǔ!Look! There is a rat over there!
- 伟 Wei什么？我在哪里？Shénme? Wǒ zài nǎlǐ?What? Where is it?
- 雨婷 Yuting在那张桌子下面。Zài nà zhāng zhuōzi xiàmiàn.Under that table.
- 伟 Wei天哪，我最怕老鼠了。Tiān nǎ, wǒ zuì pà lǎoshǔ le.Oh my god, I am most afraid of rats.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rat” translations and entries 老鼠, 鼠, 大鼠, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 鼠, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
