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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "sparrow" in Chinese?
麻雀
má què
In Chinese, "sparrow" is 麻雀 (má què).
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Pronunciation
Aim for "má què" when you say it, "má" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2), then "què" is falling fast and sharp, like a command (tone 4).
Writing and usage
麻雀 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
一只小麻雀啄食着种子。
yī zhī xiǎo má què zhuó shí zhe zhǒng zi 。
A little sparrow pecked at the seeds.
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How to remember 麻雀
Say "má què" out loud three times fast — the repetition alone tends to cement "麻雀" (má què) in memory.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 麻雀
How do you pronounce 麻雀?
Aim for "má què" when you say it, "má" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2), then "què" is falling fast and sharp, like a command (tone 4).
Is 麻雀 formal or casual?
麻雀 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 麻雀 used in Chinese?
麻雀 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 一只小麻雀啄食着种子。 (A little sparrow pecked at the seeds.).
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.
"Sparrow" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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