How to say “dog” in Chinese

gǒu
dog

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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

Word by word

gǒu
dog

Tone tip

A dipping third tone; the 'ou' rhymes with 'oh'. 小狗 (xiǎogǒu) is a puppy and 狗狗 (gǒugou) is the affectionate 'doggy'. With a falling tone, 够 (gòu) means 'enough'.

In a sentence

Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang liù gǒu.

I walk the dog every morning.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say "dog" in Chinese?+

"dog" in Mandarin Chinese is 狗, pronounced gǒu. A dipping third tone; the 'ou' rhymes with 'oh'. 小狗 (xiǎogǒu) is a puppy and 狗狗 (gǒugou) is the affectionate 'doggy'. With a falling tone, 够 (gòu) means 'enough'.

What does 狗 mean literally?+

狗 breaks down as 狗 (gǒu) = dog. Together it means "dog".

How do I get the tones right in gǒu?+

A dipping third tone; the 'ou' rhymes with 'oh'. 小狗 (xiǎogǒu) is a puppy and 狗狗 (gǒugou) is the affectionate 'doggy'. With a falling tone, 够 (gòu) means 'enough'.

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See all the phrases on the how to say things in Chinese index, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.