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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "yak" in Chinese?
牦牛
máo niú
In Chinese, "yak" is 牦牛 (máo niú).
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Pronunciation
It's spoken "máo niú" (second tone, then second tone), where rising sharply, the way your voice lifts when you ask "what?". Most learners round off the tone too soon, so exaggerate it while practicing máo niú.
Writing and usage
牦牛 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
牦牛攀爬了陡峭的山路。
máo niú pān pá le dǒu qiào de shān lù 。
The yak climbed the steep mountain path.
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How to remember 牦牛
Attach "máo niú" to the moment when the yak climbed the steep mountain path; the pairing is hard to forget.
Related words
- firefly 萤火虫
- ladybug 瓢虫
- grasshopper 蚱蜢
- caterpillar 毛毛虫
- termite 白蚁
- wasp 黄蜂
- moth 蛾
- newt 蝾螈
- salamander 蝾螈
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 牦牛
How do you pronounce 牦牛?
It's spoken "máo niú" (second tone, then second tone), where rising sharply, the way your voice lifts when you ask "what?". Most learners round off the tone too soon, so exaggerate it while practicing máo niú.
Is 牦牛 formal or casual?
牦牛 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 牦牛 used in Chinese?
牦牛 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 牦牛攀爬了陡峭的山路。 (The yak climbed the steep mountain path.).
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.
"Yak" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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