lǎohǔ
standard
In pinyin "tiger" in Chinese is lǎohǔ, written 老虎 (lǎohǔ). The shorter form hǔ, written 虎 (hǔ), appears in sayings and compound words.
Meaning: tiger (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Note |
|---|---|
| lǎohǔ | standard |
| hǔ | literary, in compounds |
Lǎo means "old" but is simply a common start of animal names here, so lǎohǔ is the usual spoken word.
How do you pronounce it?
Both syllables use the third tone, so in speech the first is said with a rise: láohǔ.
When do people say it?
The tiger is the third animal of the Chinese zodiac. 2022 was a tiger year, and children are often given tiger toys for good luck.
Did you know?
- Folk tradition says the stripes on a tiger's forehead look like the character 王, "king", so the tiger is called the king of animals.
Examples in context
- Lǎohǔ shì dà māo.The tiger is a big cat.
- Wǒ shǔ hǔ.I was born in a tiger year.
- Dòngwùyuán li yǒu liǎng zhī lǎohǔ.There are two tigers in the zoo.
Example conversation
Grandfather Gu tells his granddaughter Xiao Hui about animals at the zoo.
- Xiao HuiYéye, nà shì shénme?Grandpa, what is that?
- GuNà shì lǎohǔ.That is a tiger.
- Xiao HuiTā hǎo dà!It is so big!
