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Teach your kids 15 Mandarin Chinese animal names with ease

By LingoAce Curriculum Team |US |May 12, 2022

Learning Chinese
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Introduction 

Every parent is concerned about teaching their children their mother tongue. Chinese immigrants in Western and European countries get stressed out teaching Mandarin Chinese vocabulary to their children. Sometimes, children can feel that the language is boring and complex. Hence, they get discouraged and show zero interest in learning it. 

However, one of the best ways to teach Mandarin Chinese vocabulary is by making it fun. This will help the child gain interest in the language and learn the different words effectively. Many young children find animals interesting and attractive. Hence, you can start by teaching them the names of animals in Mandarin Chinese. 

Here is a detailed guide on how to teach different animal names for your children in Mandarin Chinese. This article is for Chinese parents, teachers, and young learners. 

15 Mandarin Chinese Animal Names to Teach Your Children 

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If you urge your child’s interest in the Mandarin Chinese language, you can introduce them to a few names of animals and capture their interest in learning the same. 

Check out the following animal names in Mandarin Chinese. 

No.

English name

Chinese name

Pronunciation 

1

Ant

蚂蚁

mǎ yǐ 

2

Pig

zhū 

3

Cow

niú 

4

Horse

5

Dog

gǒu

6

Sheep

yáng 

7

Monkey

猴子

hóu zi 

8

Cat

māo 

9

Bear

xióng

10

Tiger

老虎

lǎo hǔ 

11

Rabbit

兔子

tù zi 

12

Lion

狮子

shī zi 

13

Elephant

大象

dà xiàng 

14

Dolphin

海豚

hǎi tún

15

Spider

蜘蛛

zhī zhū 

Children are very interested in exploring different animals and birds, and it is an interesting topic for conversations too. It makes learning fun. All the above-given names of different animals will assist you in teaching Mandarin Chinese language effectively. 

You can also try this Cow and Horse song on our YouTube channel for a fun-filled learning experience. 

Ways to engage your child in learning different animal names in Mandarin Chinese

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Though teaching about animals can keep your child engaging, a few may find it boring. To make it more fun and interesting, you can add some activities. For better results, you can follow the points given below: 

Make it fun. 

Using a fun, immersive approach while teaching Mandarin Chinese language provides better results. Learning animal names can be fun when you undergo different activities, such as playing games that include pictures or dolls of animals. 

You can also undergo activities like guessing animal names in Mandarin Chinese from the Chinese zodiac wheel. You can use your hands to make a shadow of different animals and ask your children to recognize them. This will help your child gain a joyful experience while learning the language. 

Go for a walk. 

Take a walk by your street or neighborhood with your child. On the way, you may find a few pet animals with their owners. Ask your child to identify and pronounce the names of those animals.  

Take them on a trip to the Zoo. 

Children often get excited about watching different animals at zoos. No matter how many times they go to a zoo, it is always fascinating for children. This creates an excellent opportunity for children to learn and identify animal names, especially in Mandarin Chinese. 

When you are in the zoo, observe your child closely. Later, when you go home, you can again remind them of the animal names from the zoo. 

Use online resources. 

Other than playing, children like to watch cartoons such as ‘Dora, the explorer’. Hence, you can show your children animal cartoons and teach them the Mandarin Chinese names of those animals. 

Other than this, you can use online resources such as various digital applications, YouTube videos, and Google (for animal images). You can play online video games to make them more fun. 

Use picture books. 

There are a lot of comic books or picture books for children with pictures of different animals. Choose a few books depending on your child’s adapting level and areas of interest regardless of their age group. 

Create a child-friendly, colorful and interacting environment and start exploring different books with your child. Your involvement will make the child memorize the animal names more effectively. It will boost your child’s confidence and help learn the language quickly. Children will also love pop-up books, which can be a cool addition to your picture books. 

Tell a story. 

Many children are interested in listening to different adventurous stories. If you start telling your child a few stories with various animals as characters, your child will be excited to listen to the rest of the story. 

You can use the animal names in the story in Mandarin Chinese. While telling a story, try telling it realistically. It will increase the child’s interest in learning, and the child will also be able to memorize all the animal names in Mandarin Chinese easily. Here, you can also use different audiobooks to listen to the stories. 

Be consistent. 

Consistency is always the key. You should make sure that your child undergoes consistent practice of the Mandarin Chinese names of the animals taught earlier. Practice all these animal names every day. 

It doesn’t matter if your child cannot adapt to the language quickly. Keep the practice consistent and track the everyday progress of your child. This will boost up your child’s confidence, and hence, your child will be able to memorize all the animal names in Mandarin Chinese fearlessly. 

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Conclusion 

If you want to teach Mandarin Chinese to your child, you can start by teaching them animal names in the language. As children are generally fascinated with exploring different animals, teaching them those names keeps them interested and engaged. As a parent, you should interact with your child during the entire learning process. This will encourage the child to learn the language and boost their confidence. 

Your child’s interests are the key, no matter which language you use. Firstly, to help children learn Mandarin Chinese, you both have to be passionate about the language. You can add different activities and games to make it more fun. 

To create the most interesting and successful learning experiences, LingoAce combines technology, small class sizes, genuine content, artistic visuals, gamification, interaction, and highly qualified, native-speaking teachers. Why not enroll your child for a free trial lesson now? 

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Our team members have backgrounds in pedagogy, educational psychology, and linguistics. Certain members have over 10 years of experience in teaching, research, foreign language learning, and educational theory. They understand the characteristics of children aged 3-15. They've worked with well-known Chinese education institutions and had experience with teaching and curriculum design. They excels at producing interactive and highly engaging content that is aligned to local learning needs.​