Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 尾巴 | wěibā | /weɪ̯²¹⁴ b̥ä⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, standard, Sinological IPA) /i²¹⁴ b̥ä⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA, colloquial variant in Taiwan, northeast China) |
|
| 尾 | bóe, bé | /be⁵⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Jinjiang, Taipei, Philippines, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Magong) /be⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Jinjiang, Taipei, Philippines, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Magong) |
Hokkien |
| 尾仔 | bóe-á, bé-á | /be⁵³⁻⁴⁴ a⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Sinological IPA) /bə⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ a⁵⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Quanzhou, Sinological IPA) |
Hokkien |
The primary meaning is the appendage of an animal. While 尾巴 refers to the physical body part, the related verb 尾随 is used to describe the action of following or tailing someone. Additionally, 尾宿 refers to a specific Chinese constellation.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 尾巴 consists of 尾, meaning tail and 巴, which is a suffix often used for nouns or to indicate a shape or extension.
Which one should you use?
尾巴 is used for the physical appendage of an animal, whereas 尾随 refers to the act of tailing a person.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Beijing and surrounding areas, the colloquial term 尾巴儿 is frequently used. In the Hokkien language, the form 尾仔 is used, which is created by adding the diminutive suffix -á to 尾.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting tails, you should use the classifier 条 (tiáo), such as in the phrase 一条尾巴 (one tail).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is wěibā and the IPA is /weɪ̯²¹⁴ b̥ä⁴/.
Did you know?
- In many Tibeto-Burman languages, the words for 'tail' are surprisingly related to the word for 'penis', such as the Proto-Sino-Tibetan root *lməj.
Examples in context
- 狗搖著尾巴跟著主人。The dog followed its master, wagging its tail.This sentence shows how a dog might wag its 尾巴.Tatoeba #6070964 by verdastelo9604, translation #682879 by Chelsea
- 一隻貓有一條尾巴和四隻腳。A cat has a tail and four legs.This sentence describes the body parts of a cat using 尾.Tatoeba #4262152 by egg0073, translation #1650744 by marcelostockle
- 湯姆踩到自己狗狗的尾巴了。Tom stepped on his dog's tail.This sentence describes someone stepping on a dog's 尾.Tatoeba #13523598 by LeviHighway, translation #8415953 by CK
- 他的猫有一根长长的尾巴。His cat has a long tail.
- 狗狗摇着尾巴儿欢迎我们的到来。The dog welcomed us with its wagging tail.
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
佳怡 and 志强 are looking at a small monkey at the zoo.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你看那隻猴子的尾巴好長。Nǐ kàn nà zhī hóuzi de wěiba hǎo cháng.Look, that monkey's tail is so long.
- 志强 Zhiqiang真的，牠的尾巴看起來很靈活。Zhēn de, tā de wěiba kàn qǐlái hěn línghuó.Really, its tail looks very flexible.
- 佳怡 Jiayi牠是用尾巴抓著樹枝的。Tā shì yòng wěiba zhuāzhe shùzhī de.It is using its tail to hold onto a branch.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好厲害，那條尾巴真有用。Hǎo lìhài, nà tiáo wěiba zhēn yǒuyòng.Amazing, that tail is really useful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tail” translations and entries 尾巴, 尾, 尾仔, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 尾, 尾巴, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
