What’s your favorite animal? Do you have any pets? 

Questions like these make great conversation starters. Animals are a topic of interest for many people, and we sure do love our pets! What better way to break the ice and get to know someone than by asking about their favorite furry, scaly, or feathery creatures?

Fancy putting some Cantonese animal words in your pocket? In this article, you’ll learn many animal names in Cantonese for different categories: pets, farm animals, wild beasts, sea creatures, birds, and all sorts of tiny bugs. We’ll spice it up with some animal proverbs and the “Twelve Zodiac Animals” story. Read on!

Table of Contents

1. At Home (Pets)
2. On the Farm (Farm Animals)
3. In the Wild / Forest / Safari (Land Animals)
4. In the Ocean (Aquatic / Marine Animals)
5. Bugs and Insects
6. Birds, Reptiles & Amphibians
7. Animal Body Parts
8. Animal Proverbs
9. Bonus: The Twelve Zodiac Animals
10. How CantoneseClass101.com Can Help You Learn More Cantonese

1. At Home (Pets)

Compared to the rest of the world, Hong Kong is home to very few pets. According to a global survey, 64% of Hongkongers do not own pets—this makes Hong Kong the country with the second-highest rate of non-pet owners among the 22 countries surveyed. Among those who do own pets, dogs and fish are the most common, with each one accounting for 14% of all pets in Hong Kong. And from my own (unscientific) observation, I spotted approximately ten dogs walking along the street while writing this article.

With this in mind, let me introduce you to the Cantonese words for “dog,” “goldfish,” and several other less popular pets.

#	Chinese Characters	Romanization	Meaning
1	狗	gau2	dog
2	金魚	gam1 jyu2	goldfish
3	貓	maau1	cat
4	倉鼠	cong1 syu2	hamster
5	兔仔	tou3 zai2	rabbit
6	鸚鵡	jing1 mou5	parrot
7	天竺鼠	tin1 zuk1 syu2	guinea pig
8	刺蝟	ci3 wai6	hedgehog

2. On the Farm (Farm Animals)

As one of the most densely populated cities on Earth, farming in Hong Kong has long been considered a sunset industry. Most Hongkongers opt for the bustling city life and dedicate themselves to other industries like Business and Finance. At the same time, the amount of agricultural land has been dwindling. As a result, we rely heavily on imports.

Below, you’ll find the names of several animals in Cantonese that you might find on a farm.

#	Chinese Characters	Romanization	Meaning
1	馬	maa5	horse
2	雞	gai1	chicken
3	火雞	fo2 gai1	turkey
4	綿羊	min4 joeng2	sheep / lamb
5	母牛	mou5 ngau4	cow
6	豬	zyu1	pig
7	鴨	aap3	duck
8	鵝	ngo2	goose
9	驢	lou4	donkey
10	山羊	saan1 joeng4	goat

→ To learn more Cantonese words and practice your pronunciation, why not stop by our vocabulary lesson Farm Animals on CantoneseClass101.com?

3. In the Wild / Forest / Safari (Land Animals)

Hong Kong does not have many wild animals, nor does it have a forest—but it’s still worthwhile to learn some land animal names in Cantonese so that you can use them in conversations or understand them in documentaries!

#	Chinese Characters	Romanization	Meaning
1	長頸鹿	coeng4 geng2 luk2	giraffe
2	象	zoeng6	elephant
3	狼	long4	wolf
4	獅子	si1 zi2	lion
5	老虎	lou5 fu2	tiger
6	箭豬	zin3 zyu1	porcupine
7	熊	hung4	bear
8	大灰熊	daai6 fui1 hung4	grizzly bear
9	北極熊	bak1 gik6 hung4	polar bear
10	樹熊	syu6 hung4	koala
11	熊貓	hung4 maau1	panda
12	鹿	luk2	deer
13	大鹿	daai6 luk2	moose
14	馴鹿	seon4 luk2	reindeer
15	松鼠	cung4 syu2	squirrel
16	袋鼠	doi6 syu2	kangaroo
17	臭鼬	cau3 jau6	skunk
18	花栗鼠	faa1 leot6 syu2	chipmunk
19	浣熊	wun2 hung4	raccoon
20	馬騮	maa5 nau1	monkey
21	大猩猩	daai6 sing1 sing1	gorilla
22	黑猩猩	haak1 sing1 sing1	chimpanzee
23	花豹	faa1 paau3	leopard
24	豹	paau3	panther
25	獵豹	lip6 paau3	cheetah
26	捷豹	zit6 paau3	jaguar
27	斑馬	baan1 maa5	zebra
28	河馬	ho4 maa5	hippopotamus
29	犀牛	sai1 ngau4	rhinoceros
30	蝙蝠	pin1 fuk1	bat

4. In the Ocean (Aquatic / Marine Animals)

Did you know that Hong Kong is surrounded by sea? One of the most picturesque tourist spots in Hong Kong is Victoria Harbour! Hong Kong is also famous for its abundance of seafood (and thus, seafood restaurants).

#	Chinese Characters	Romanization	Meaning
1	蟹	haai5	crab
2	魚	jyu2	fish
3	龍蝦	lung4 haa1	lobster
4	海狗	hoi2 gau2	seal
5	水母	seoi2 mou5	jellyfish
6	海豚	hoi2 tyun4	dolphin
7	鯨魚	king4 jyu4	whale
8	魷魚	jau4 jyu2	squid
9	鯊魚	saa1 jyu2	shark
10	八爪魚	baat3 zaau2 jyu4	octopus
11	海獅	hoi2 si1	sealion
12	海象	hoi2 zoeng6	walrus
13	海獺	hoi2 caat3	sea otter
14	海膽	hoi2 daam2	sea urchin
15	河豚	ho4 tyun4	puffer fish
16	鱔	sin5	eel

→ To practice your pronunciation, why not stop by our vocabulary list Marine Animals and Fish on CantoneseClass101.com?

5. Bugs and Insects

The smothering humidity in Hong Kong is beloved by bugs and insects—especially mosquitoes. Check out the table below for the Cantonese names of common bugs and insects in Hong Kong.

#	Chinese Characters	Romanization	Meaning
1	甲蟲	gaap3 cung4	ladybug
2	蜻蜓	cing1 ting4	dragonfly
3	蝴蝶	wu4 dip2	butterfly
4	蜜蜂	mat6 fung1	bee
5	螞蟻	maa5 ngai5	ant
6	蜘蛛	zi1 zyu1	spider
7	烏蠅	wu1 ying1	fly
8	蚊	man1	mosquito
9	黃蜂	wong4 fung1	wasp
10	毛蟲	mou4 cung4	caterpillar

6. Birds, Reptiles & Amphibians

According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong, the most common birds in Hong Kong’s urban areas are: 

• Eurasian Tree Sparrow
• Oriental Magpie Robin
• Eurasian Magpie
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Red-whiskered Bulbul

In wetlands, you’ll commonly find the White-throated Kingfisher and Little Egret.

Here, we’ve listed the more common vocabulary words for birds, reptiles, amphibians, and similar animals to get you started:

#	Chinese Characters	Romanization	Meaning
1	雀	zoek3	bird
2	烏鴉	wu1 aa1	crow / raven
3	白鴿	bat6 gap2	dove
4	麻雀	maa4 zoek2	sparrow
5	鷹	jing1	eagle
6	貓頭鷹	maau1 tau4 jing1	owl
7	鸚鵡	jing1 mou5	parrot
8	海鷗	hoi2 au1	seagull
9	企鵝	kei5 ngo2	penguin
10	蝸牛	wo1 ngau4	snail
11	青蛙	cing1 waa1	frog
12	蛇	se4	snake
13	鱷魚	ngok6 jyu4	crocodile / alligator
14	烏龜	wu1 gwai1	turtle

7. Animal Body Parts

Now that you know the names of several animals in Cantonese, you’ll benefit from learning what to call their most defining body parts. Here, we’ve listed ten common Cantonese words for you.

#	Chinese Characters	Romanization	Meaning
1	觸角	zuk1 gok3	antenna
2	喙	fui3	beak
3	爪	zaau2	claw / paw
4	羽毛	jyu5 mou4	feather
5	角	gok3	horn
6	毛	mou4	fur
7	鱗	leon4	scale
8	尾巴	mei5 baa1	tail
9	觸鬚	zuk1 sou1	tentacle
10	翅膀	ci3 pong4	wing

→ Want to learn more animal-related words? See our vocabulary list Sounds That Animals Make!

8. Animal Proverbs

There are so many Cantonese animal proverbs! Below are our top five picks:

1 – 豬乸會上樹

Romanization: zyu1 naa2 wui5 soeng5 syu6
Literal Translation: “A sow (a female pig) can climb trees”

More about the proverb – 

• Meaning / Equivalent Proverb: “When pigs fly”
• Example Scenario: When Martin is really bad at math, but he claims that he will get full marks on the upcoming calculus exam, you might reply with this phrase.

2 – 掛羊頭賣狗肉

Romanization: gwaa3 joeng4 tau4 maai6 gau2 juk6
Literal Translation: “Hang up a sheep’s head and sell dog meat”

More about the proverb – 

• Meaning / Equivalent Proverb: “Palm off”
• Example Scenario: When Lucy claims that the designer bags she is selling are real (but they are indeed fake), you may say this phrase.
• Additional notes: Hong Kong prohibits the slaughter of dogs or cats for the use of food. You won’t actually find shops selling dog meat!

3 – 大石砸死蟹

Romanization: daai6 sek6 zaak6 sei2 haai5
Literal Translation: “A big rock weighs down on a crab”

More about the proverb – 

• Meaning / Equivalent Proverb: Overpowered by an overwhelming force
• Example Scenario: Imagine your boss asks you to perform a task that’s totally out of your job description, and you have to do it because of his dominating power in the workplace. You may express your frustration with this phrase.

4 – 牛唔飲水唔撳得牛頭低

Romanization: ngau4 m4 jam2 seoi2 m4 gam6 dak1 ngau4 tau4 dai1
Literal Translation: “If a cow doesn’t want to drink, you can’t force its head down.”

More about the proverb – 

• Meaning / Equivalent Proverb: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” It implies that one should take full responsibility for his or her own actions.
• Example Scenario: Imagine that Christy enters a relationship with a guy whom she knows is in love with someone else, and then she claims to be the victim when she gets hurt. In this situation, you could say this phrase. 

5 – 老貓燒鬚

Romanization: lou5 maau1 siu1 sou1
Literal Translation: “An old cat burns its whiskers.”

More about the proverb – 

• Meaning / Equivalent Proverb: We use this expression in reference to an expert who makes a careless mistake in their area of expertise.
• Example Scenario: Let’s say that Rick makes a silly grammatical mistake when he is giving an English lesson. If you catch the mistake, you might say this phrase in response. 

9. Bonus: The Twelve Zodiac Animals

Unlike the Western zodiac, which takes twelve months to cycle through the constellation signs, the Chinese zodiac cycle is twelve years long and assigns an animal to each year. 

According to legend, the Jade Emperor held a race for the animals. He declared that the calendar years would be named for each animal in the order they arrived at the goal.

This race involved a river crossing, and the ox almost won since it was the strongest swimmer. However, it came in second because the rat, who had secretly jumped onto the ox’s back to be carried across the river, leaped out ahead of him. Next came the tiger, the rabbit, and the dragon. The horse should have come next, but the snake hidden in its hoof jumped out and scared him after they had crossed the river, so the snake managed to finish before the horse. The goat, monkey, and rooster made their way across by working together and finished at the same time. The dog could have finished earlier, but stopped to frolic and bathe in the water. The pig had stopped to rest halfway through, and thus came in last.

With that, our 12-year cycle is as follows:

#	Chinese Characters	Romanization	Meaning
1	鼠	syu2	rat
2	牛	ngau4	ox / cow
3	虎	fu2	tiger
4	兔	tou3	rabbit
5	龍	lung4	dragon
6	蛇	se4	snake
7	馬	maa5	horse
8	羊	joeng4	sheep
9	猴	hau4	monkey
10	雞	gai1	rooster
11	狗	gau2	dog
12	豬	zyu1	pig

10. How CantoneseClass101.com Can Help You Learn More Cantonese

What’s your favorite animal? Do you remember its name in Cantonese? 

At this stage in your learning journey, you should focus on continuing to build your vocabulary and starting to familiarize yourself with key grammar points. 

With CantoneseClass101.com, you can have your daily dose of Cantonese whenever and wherever you want, through mobile apps, desktop software, and our website. We offer entertaining, engaging, and effective lessons on various aspects of the Cantonese language and culture.

Until now, we’ve delivered more than 750,000,000 lessons to thousands of happy students from all around the globe. You can learn Cantonese with over 1060 audio and video lessons delivered by our knowledgeable and energetic hosts, detailed PDF lesson notes, an abundance of vocabulary learning tools, spaced repetition flashcards, and a lively community where you can discuss the lessons with fellow learners. What are you waiting for? Download our lessons, enjoy our audio and video files, and start learning now!

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Know that your hard work will pay off, and before you know it, you’ll be speaking Cantonese like a native!