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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "octopus" in Chinese?
章鱼
zhāng yú
In Chinese, "octopus" is 章鱼.
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Pronunciation
Zhāng (high flat tone) yú (high flat tone). Say 'jong' at a steady high pitch, then 'fish' also high and steady.
Writing and usage
Two characters. 章 (zhāng) has 11 strokes and does not use a standard radical related to animals. 鱼 (yú, fish) is the familiar 8-stroke fish character.
Example sentence
章鱼有八只触须。
Octopuses have eight tentacles.
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How to remember 章鱼
Zhāng is not obviously related to octopus, but saying it fast sounds rhythmic: zhang-yu, which is catchy.
Related words
- clam 蛤蜊 gé lì
- clownfish 小丑鱼 xiǎo chǒu yú
- crate 板条箱 bǎn tiáo xiāng
- insect 昆虫 kūn chóng
- sea otter 海獭 hǎi tǎ
- seagull 海鸥 hǎi ōu
- squid 鱿鱼 yóu yú
- towel 毛巾 máo jīn
- whale 鲸 jīng
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 章鱼
How do you say "octopus" in Chinese?
In Chinese, "octopus" is 章鱼. It is a noun.
How is 章鱼 written in Chinese?
Two characters. 章 (zhāng) has 11 strokes and does not use a standard radical related to animals. 鱼 (yú, fish) is the familiar 8-stroke fish character.
How is 章鱼 used in a sentence?
Use 章鱼 as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: 章鱼有八只触须。 (Octopuses have eight tentacles.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
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"Octopus" in other languages
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