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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "ant" in Chinese?
蚂蚁
mǎ yǐ
In Chinese, "ant" is 蚂蚁 (mǎ yǐ).
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Pronunciation
It's pronounced "mǎ yǐ", where "mǎ" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3), then "yǐ" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3).
Writing and usage
蚂蚁 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
一只小蚂蚁在地板上带着一块面包屑。
yī zhī xiǎo mǎ yǐ zài dì bǎn shàng dài zhe yī kuài miàn bāo xiè 。
A tiny ant carried a crumb across the floor.
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How to remember 蚂蚁
Mǎ (like "ma") plus yǐ, imagine an ant riding a tiny horse ("ma") to help remember mǎ yǐ, a quick anchor for "蚂蚁" (mǎ yǐ).
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 蚂蚁
How do you pronounce 蚂蚁?
It's pronounced "mǎ yǐ", where "mǎ" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3), then "yǐ" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3).
Is 蚂蚁 formal or casual?
蚂蚁 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 蚂蚁 used in Chinese?
蚂蚁 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 一只小蚂蚁在地板上带着一块面包屑。 (A tiny ant carried a crumb across the floor.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Ant" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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