Farm and wild animals, birds and insects, and how plants grow.
Practise this list
From these 40 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
Many names of animals and plants end in a general word that a learner already has — 鱼, 鸟, 花, 树 — which makes a new name easier to place: 鲸鱼, 荷花. Animals take their own measure words: most take 只, cattle 头, a flock or herd 群. And some words are wider than English: 羊 covers sheep and goats, 牛 cows, bulls and oxen.
The words
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Verb (6)
种树to plant treesVerb3
春天是种树的好季节。Spring is a good season for planting trees.
种, to plant, works with any crop: 种花, 种菜.
浇水to water (plants)Verb3
我出差的时候，邻居帮我给花浇水。When I am away on business, my neighbour waters my plants for me.
发芽to sproutVerb3
种子种下去一个星期就发芽了。The seeds sprouted a week after they were sown.
长to growVerb3
雨后草长得特别快。After rain the grass grows especially fast.
长 is to grow; read 长 it means long.
开花to flower; to bloomVerb3
有的花只在晚上开花。Some flowers only bloom at night.
枯to wither; witheredVerb3
好久没下雨，草都枯了。It has not rained for a long time, and the grass has all withered.
Noun (34)
熊猫pandaNoun3
熊猫每天要吃很多竹子。Pandas eat a great deal of bamboo every day.
Measure word: 只.
老虎tigerNoun3
动物园里的老虎正在睡觉。The tiger at the zoo is asleep.
The 老 does not mean old here; it is part of the name, as in 老鼠.
狮子lionNoun3
狮子一叫，别的动物都跑了。As soon as the lion roared, the other animals ran off.
猴子monkeyNoun3
猴子在树上跳来跳去。The monkeys are jumping about in the trees.
兔子rabbit; hareNoun3
她养了两只白兔子。She keeps two white rabbits.
羊sheep; goatNoun3
山坡上有一群羊。There is a flock of sheep on the hillside.
To be exact, a sheep is 绵羊 and a goat 山羊.
牛cow; cattle; oxNoun3
奶奶家以前养过一头牛。My grandmother’s family once kept a cow.
Measure word: 头.
猪pigNoun3
猪其实是很聪明的动物。Pigs are actually very clever animals.
Measure word: 头 or 只.
狐狸foxNoun3
故事里的狐狸常常很聪明。In stories the fox is often clever.
鹿deerNoun3
我们在森林里看到了几只鹿。We saw a few deer in the forest.
骆驼camelNoun3
骆驼好几天不喝水也没问题。A camel can go for several days without water.
鲸鱼whaleNoun3
我第一次在海上看到了鲸鱼。I saw a whale at sea for the first time.
Named with 鱼, though nobody takes it for a fish; also just 鲸.
鸽子pigeon; doveNoun3
广场上有很多鸽子。There are lots of pigeons in the square.
鹅gooseNoun3
院子里的鹅看见生人就叫。The geese in the yard honk whenever they see a stranger.
孔雀peacockNoun3
孔雀开屏的时候特别漂亮。A peacock is especially beautiful when it spreads its tail.
鹦鹉parrotNoun3
这只鹦鹉会说“你好”。This parrot can say "hello".
昆虫insectNoun3
蝴蝶和蜜蜂都是昆虫。Butterflies and bees are both insects.
The scientific word; in everyday speech small creatures are 虫子.
蚂蚁antNoun3
地上有一排蚂蚁在搬东西。There is a line of ants on the ground carrying things.
苍蝇flyNoun3
夏天厨房里苍蝇很多。In summer there are lots of flies in the kitchen.
蜘蛛spiderNoun3
墙角有一只蜘蛛。There is a spider in the corner.
羽毛featherNoun3
这只鸟的羽毛是蓝色的。This bird’s feathers are blue.
爪子paw; clawNoun3
小猫用爪子抓门。The kitten is scratching at the door with its paws.
窝nest; den; (animal’s) bedNoun3
小狗在自己的窝里睡觉。The puppy is asleep in its basket.
植物plantNoun3
我的办公室里有很多植物。There are lots of plants in my office.
花盆flowerpotNoun3
她把花从小花盆换到大花盆里。She moved the plant from a small pot into a bigger one.
叶子leafNoun3
秋天树上的叶子变黄了。In autumn the leaves on the trees turn yellow.
Measure word: 片.
树枝branch (of a tree)Noun3
大风把树枝吹断了。The strong wind broke the branch.
树根root (of a tree)Noun3
这棵老树的树根很深。The roots of this old tree go very deep.
种子seedNoun3
把种子放进土里，再浇点儿水。Put the seeds in the soil, then give them a little water.
种 in the third tone, as in 种类; to plant is 种.
果实fruit (of a plant)Noun3
秋天树上结满了果实。In autumn the trees are heavy with fruit.
The botanical word; fruit to eat is 水果.
荷花lotus flowerNoun3
夏天湖里开满了荷花。In summer the lake is full of lotus flowers.
