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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "clownfish" in Chinese?

小丑鱼

xiǎo chǒu yú

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "clownfish" is 小丑鱼.

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Pronunciation

Xiǎo (falling tone) chǒu (falling tone) yú (high flat tone). Start with the 'sh' sound in 'sheet', drop your pitch. Then a quick falling 'ch' sound, and finish with a high, steady 'yoo'.

Writing and usage

Three characters. The first character 小 (xiǎo) means small. The second 丑 (chǒu) has 8 strokes and depicts something ugly or clownish. The third 鱼 (yú) is the fish radical, a common ending for sea creatures.

Example sentence

小丑鱼住在珊瑚里。

Clownfish live in coral.

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How to remember 小丑鱼

Picture the clown, small and goofy: xiǎo chǒu. The 'chǒu' character directly means clown or buffoon, which matches the silly personality of these fish perfectly.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

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Questions about 小丑鱼

How do you say "clownfish" in Chinese?

In Chinese, "clownfish" is 小丑鱼. It is a noun.

How is 小丑鱼 written in Chinese?

Three characters. The first character 小 (xiǎo) means small. The second 丑 (chǒu) has 8 strokes and depicts something ugly or clownish. The third 鱼 (yú) is the fish radical, a common ending for sea creatures.

How is 小丑鱼 used in a sentence?

Use 小丑鱼 as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: 小丑鱼住在珊瑚里。 (Clownfish live in coral.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

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"Clownfish" in other languages

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