动物 (dòng wù) — animal in Mandarin

dòng​ wù
“animal”

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#762 most common word · HSK 3 · CEFR B1

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

Tone breakdown

动物 is pronounced dòng wù. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.

dòng
fourth tone (sharp falling, ˋ)
wù
fourth tone (sharp falling, ˋ)

In a sentence

Wǒ xǐhuān gè zhǒng dòng wù.

I like all kinds of animals.

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Frequently asked questions

What does 动物 mean?+

动物 (dòng wù) means "animal" in Mandarin Chinese.

How do you pronounce 动物?+

动物 is pronounced dòng wù. It uses the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.

How common is 动物 in Mandarin?+

动物 is the #762 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.

Where 动物 fits

HSK 3 · CEFR B1
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Every HSK 3 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.

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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.