Every child in the world wants to see a panda. So while we are in Beijing, we went to the Beijing Zoo (北京动物园, Běijīng Dòngwùyuán), one of the most famous places in China to meet pandas. Of course, we came back with lots of photos and lots of Chinese words!
Here is the secret that makes zoo animals so much fun in Chinese: many animal names are little riddles. A panda is a "bear-cat". A hippo is a "river horse". A giraffe is a "long-neck deer". Once your child knows a few simple characters, they can work out the animal names all by themselves.
Colour guide
🟣 Purple = the animalRed = the key word🧩 = the name riddle
🐼 Meet the animals
Ten animals, ten names, and lots of riddles to solve.
🐼Photo: giant panda at the zoo
🐼 Giant panda
熊猫
xióngmāo
🧩 熊 bear + 猫 cat = a bear-cat!
熊猫喜欢吃竹子。Xióngmāo xǐhuan chī zhúzi.Pandas love eating bamboo.
🐯Photo: tiger at the zoo
🐯 Tiger
老虎
lǎohǔ
🧩 老 old + 虎 tiger. Even a baby tiger is called 老虎!
老虎在睡觉。Lǎohǔ zài shuìjiào.The tiger is sleeping.
🐒Photo: monkey at the zoo
🐒 Monkey
猴子
hóuzi
🧩 猴 monkey + 子, a little ending you find in many animal names.
猴子在爬树。Hóuzi zài pá shù.The monkey is climbing a tree.
🦒Photo: giraffe at the zoo
🦒 Giraffe
长颈鹿
chángjǐnglù
🧩 长 long + 颈 neck + 鹿 deer = a long-neck deer!
长颈鹿很高。Chángjǐnglù hěn gāo.The giraffe is very tall.
🐘Photo: elephant at the zoo
🐘 Elephant
大象
dàxiàng
🧩 大 big + 象 elephant = a big elephant. Are there small ones?
大象的鼻子很长。Dàxiàng de bízi hěn cháng.The elephant's nose is very long.
🦁Photo: lion at the zoo
🦁 Lion
狮子
shīzi
🧩 狮 lion + 子, the same little ending as in 猴子.
狮子很强。Shīzi hěn qiáng.The lion is very strong.
🦓Photo: zebra at the zoo
🦓 Zebra
斑马
bānmǎ
🧩 斑 stripes + 马 horse = a striped horse!
斑马是黑白的。Bānmǎ shì hēi bái de.The zebra is black and white.
🦛Photo: hippo at the zoo
🦛 Hippo
河马
hémǎ
🧩 河 river + 马 horse = a river horse!
河马在水里。Hémǎ zài shuǐ li.The hippo is in the water.
🐧Photo: penguin at the zoo
🐧 Penguin
企鹅
qǐ'é
🧩 企 standing tall + 鹅 goose = a goose that stands up straight!
企鹅走得很慢。Qǐ'é zǒu de hěn màn.The penguin walks very slowly.
🦚Photo: peacock at the zoo
🦚 Peacock
孔雀
kǒngquè
🧩 雀 is a word for a bird. Look at those feathers!
孔雀很漂亮。Kǒngquè hěn piàoliang.The peacock is very beautiful.
🐼 Did you know? In China the panda is called a 国宝 (guóbǎo), a national treasure. Pandas spend most of the day eating bamboo (竹子, zhúzi) and the rest of the day sleeping. Not a bad life!
🧩 Animal Riddle Game
Put the pieces together. Which animal is it?
Three games for your next zoo visit
Chinese zoo bingo. Write five animal names in Chinese on a card before you go. Every animal you see, your child ticks off. First to five wins an ice cream!
What is it doing? Use one easy pattern: animal + 在 (zài) + action. 熊猫在吃 (the panda is eating), 老虎在睡觉 (the tiger is sleeping), 猴子在玩 (the monkey is playing). Your child describes, you guess the animal.
Invent your own riddle names. If a hippo is a river horse, what would your child call a crocodile? Or a flamingo? Let them invent a Chinese name with the characters they know, then look up the real one together. They are often surprisingly close!
💡 Want more animals? Our blog about opposites in Chinese uses animals too: fast cheetahs, slow tortoises, big elephants and tiny mice.
✨ At Marina Chinese, children learn with real photos and real stories from China, so new words come with a picture in their head. Book a lesson →
