斑馬 / 斑马
bānmǎ
In Chinese, zebra is said as 斑馬 / 斑马 (bānmǎ). Wiktionary also lists 福祿 / 福禄 (fúlù).
Meaning: African animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 斑馬 / 斑马 | bānmǎ | |
| 斑馬 / 斑马 | pan-má, pan-bé | Hokkien |
| 花條馬 / 花条马 | hoe-tiâu-bé | Hokkien |
| 花斑馬 / 花斑马 | hoe-pan-bé | Hokkien |
| 福祿 / 福禄 | fúlù | obsolete |
This term refers to the African animal known as a zebra.
Which one should you use?
花條馬 / 花条马 and 花斑馬 / 花斑马 are also used in Hokkien. The term 福祿 / 福禄 is considered obsolete.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The forms 斑馬 / 斑马, 花條馬 / 花条马 and 花斑馬 / 花斑马 are used in Hokkien.
How do you pronounce it?
pan-má, pan-bé
Did you know?
- The obsolete term 福祿 / 福禄 for zebra is likely a phonetic adaptation of 'farow', the Somali word for the animal.
- The early Chinese term for zebra, 福祿 / 福禄, shares its characters with a common phrase meaning 'fortune and prosperity'.
- The character 斑 / 斑 in 斑馬 / 斑马 refers specifically to spots or mottling, rather than the linear stripes English speakers associate with zebras.
Examples in context
- 我在动物园看到一只斑马。I saw a zebra in the zoo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “zebra” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 福祿, CC BY-SA 4.0.
