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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "rat" in Chinese?
老鼠
lǎo shǔ
In Chinese, "rat" is 老鼠 (lǎo shǔ).
Listen to the pronunciation:
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Pronunciation
Pronounce this as "lǎo shǔ": "lǎo" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3), then "shǔ" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3).
Writing and usage
老鼠 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
一只老鼠在黑暗的小巷里蹦蹦跳跳。
yī zhī lǎo shǔ zài hēi àn de xiǎo xiàng lǐ bèng bèng tiào tiào 。
A rat scampered along the dark alley.
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How to remember 老鼠
Say "lǎo shǔ" out loud three times fast — the repetition alone tends to cement "老鼠" (lǎo shǔ) in memory.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 老鼠
How do you pronounce 老鼠?
Pronounce this as "lǎo shǔ": "lǎo" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3), then "shǔ" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3).
Is 老鼠 formal or casual?
老鼠 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 老鼠 used in Chinese?
老鼠 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 一只老鼠在黑暗的小巷里蹦蹦跳跳。 (A rat scampered along the dark alley.).
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.
"Rat" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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