Home › Chinese › Glossary › cactus
Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "cactus" in Chinese?
仙人掌
xiān rén zhǎng
In Chinese, "cactus" is 仙人掌 (xiān rén zhǎng).
Listen to the pronunciation:
Free Chinese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games
Pronunciation
The pinyin "xiān rén zhǎng" takes first tone, then second tone, then third tone, meaning held flat and steady, almost like humming one note; then the next syllable is rising sharply.
Writing and usage
仙人掌 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
仙人掌生长在干燥的沙漠中。
xiān rén zhǎng shēng zhǎng zài gān zào de shā mò zhōng 。
The cactus grew in the dry desert.
Test your Chinese knowledge in our free browser games.
How to remember 仙人掌
Attach "xiān rén zhǎng" to the exact scene of when the cactus grew in the dry desert; the pairing is hard to forget.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 仙人掌
How do you pronounce 仙人掌?
The pinyin "xiān rén zhǎng" takes first tone, then second tone, then third tone, meaning held flat and steady, almost like humming one note; then the next syllable is rising sharply.
Is 仙人掌 formal or casual?
仙人掌 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 仙人掌 used in Chinese?
仙人掌 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 仙人掌生长在干燥的沙漠中。 (The cactus grew in the dry desert.).
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.
"Cactus" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR
These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.
See the full game ▶Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town