老虎
lǎohǔ/lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
The English word "tiger" is 老虎 (lǎohǔ) in Mandarin.
Meaning: The mammal Panthera tigris (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 老虎 | lǎohǔ | /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /nau⁵³ fu⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 虎 | hó͘ | /hɔ⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Changtai, Philippines, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese, Yongchun, Yongchun) /heu⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Changtai, Philippines, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese, Yongchun) |
Hokkien |
The term refers to the mammal Panthera tigris.
Which one should you use?
老虎 is the standard colloquial term for the animal, while 虎 is more common in literary compounds and fixed idioms.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, you can use лохў (lohw) or хў (hw). In Hokkien, the word is 虎 (hó͘).
How does it change in a sentence?
The single character 虎 can function as a noun meaning 'tiger' in formal writing, idioms or classical Chinese contexts. The character 虎 is the root morpheme for 'tiger' used in many related terms and compounds.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is lǎohǔ.
Did you know?
- In Chinese culture, the tiger is often called the 'King of All Beasts'. This title elevates the animal above the lion, which is more commonly viewed as the king in Western cultures.
- In ancient China, tiger-shaped amulets and the word 虎 were often placed in the rooms of children to ward off evil spirits and illness.
- The term 'old' in 老虎 was not originally meant to describe the animal's age, but was used as a respectful way to avoid the taboo of saying its real name.
Examples in context
- 这不是老虎。This is not a tiger.This sentence uses 虎 to identify what an object is not.Tatoeba #7768251 by jiangche, translation #1739147 by CM
- 不入虎穴，焉得虎子。One may only catch the tiger cub by entering the tiger's den.This sentence uses 虎 within a proverb about courage and risk.Tatoeba #704463 by GlossaMatik, translation #1651925 by Spamster
- 心有猛虎，细嗅蔷薇。In me the tiger sniffs the rose.This sentence uses 虎 in a poetic context.Tatoeba #8496115 by maxine, translation #8496118 by maxine
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A boy and a girl are looking at a picture book in a library.
- 浩然 Haoran这只老虎看起来很可爱。Zhè zhī lǎohǔ kàn qǐlái hěn kě'ài.This tiger looks very cute.
- 欣怡 Xinyi可是老虎是很危险的动物。Kěshì lǎohǔ shì hěn wēixiǎn de dòngwù.But tigers are very dangerous animals.
- 浩然 Haoran欣怡，你看那只老虎在睡觉。Xīnyí, nǐ kàn nà zhī lǎohǔ zài shuìjiào.Xinyi, look, that tiger is sleeping.
- 欣怡 Xinyi它看起来一点也不凶。Tā kàn qǐlái yīdiǎn yě bù xiōng.It doesn't look fierce at all.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tiger” translations and entries 老虎, 虎, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 老虎, 虎, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
