HomeChineseGlossary › cow

Chinese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "cow" in Chinese?

母牛

mǔ niú

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "cow" is 母牛.

Listen to the pronunciation:

Free Chinese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games

Pronunciation

Say 'MOO nee-ow'. First syllable falls sharply, second falls throughout.

Writing and usage

The first character 母 (female) has 5 strokes. The second 牛 (cattle) has 4 strokes and is one of the most basic animal characters.

Example sentence

母牛在草地上吃草。

The cow is grazing in the field.

Test your Chinese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember 母牛

Mǔ niú literally means 'female cattle' - this distinguishes the cow from the bull.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

See more farm words.

See more farm words.

See more farm words.

Questions about 母牛

How do you say "cow" in Chinese?

In Chinese, "cow" is 母牛. It is a noun.

How is 母牛 written in Chinese?

The first character 母 (female) has 5 strokes. The second 牛 (cattle) has 4 strokes and is one of the most basic animal characters.

How is 母牛 used in a sentence?

Use 母牛 as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: 母牛在草地上吃草。 (The cow is grazing in the field.).

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.

"Cow" 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.

Noun Town language-learning game on PC, Mac and VR
The full experience

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