十二生肖 · shí’èr shēngxiào
Chinese zodiac animals in Chinese
Learn the twelve animal names, pronunciation and separate Earthly Branch symbols, from Rat 鼠 to Pig 猪.
The twelve animal names are 鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪. Read the tone-marked pinyin below and compare each animal name with its separate Earthly Branch symbol.
- 01Rat
鼠 Rat
shǔSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 鼠
- Earthly Branch
- 子 · Zi
- 02Ox
牛 Ox
niúSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 牛
- Earthly Branch
- 丑 · Chou
- 03Tiger
虎 Tiger
hǔSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 虎
- Earthly Branch
- 寅 · Yin
- 04Rabbit
兔 Rabbit
tùSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 兔
- Earthly Branch
- 卯 · Mao
- 05Dragon
龙 Dragon
lóngSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 龍
- Earthly Branch
- 辰 · Chen
- 06Snake
蛇 Snake
shéSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 蛇
- Earthly Branch
- 巳 · Si
- 07Horse
马 Horse
mǎSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 馬
- Earthly Branch
- 午 · Wu
- 08Goat
羊 Goat
yángSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 羊
- Earthly Branch
- 未 · Wei
- 09Monkey
猴 Monkey
hóuSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 猴
- Earthly Branch
- 申 · Shen
- 10Rooster
鸡 Rooster
jīSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 雞
- Earthly Branch
- 酉 · You
- 11Dog
狗 Dog
gǒuSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 狗
- Earthly Branch
- 戌 · Xu
- 12Pig
猪 Pig
zhūSynthetic Mandarin voice · Jade Observatory · eSpeak NG Mandarin · CC0 1.0- Traditional
- 豬
- Earthly Branch
- 亥 · Hai
Why are the animal name and branch symbol different?
鼠 (shǔ) names the Rat animal, while 子 (Zǐ) names its Earthly Branch. Animal names are ordinary vocabulary; branch symbols identify positions in the calendar cycle. The same distinction applies to all twelve signs.
羊 (yáng) can refer to sheep or goats, so the eighth sign appears as Goat, Sheep or Ram in English. Simplified and traditional writing can also differ: 龙 and 龍 both name the Dragon.
Explore the stem–branch cycle → · Find your own animal by birth date →