老鼠
lǎoshǔ
Rat
老鼠 (lǎoshǔ) is the everyday word for both 'rat' and 'mouse' in Mandarin Chinese. It refers to the common rodent.
What does 老鼠 (lǎoshǔ) mean?
老鼠 (lǎoshǔ) means “rat” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “old mouse/rat.”
When to use it
Neutral. It's the standard term for the animal. When referring to the zodiac animal, the character 鼠 (shǔ) is used alone.
How to pronounce it
Sounds like "lao-shoo." 老 is a third tone; 鼠 is also a third tone but is often said lightly in everyday speech.
Other ways to say it
- 鼠shǔrat/mouse (often used for the zodiac animal)
- 小老鼠xiǎo lǎoshǔlittle mouse
- 大老鼠dà lǎoshǔbig rat
Examples
我看到一只老鼠跑进了洞里。
wǒ kàndào yī zhī lǎoshǔ pǎojìnle dòngli.
I saw a mouse run into the hole.
老鼠喜欢在夜间活动。
lǎoshǔ xǐhuan zài yèjiān huódòng.
Rats like to be active at night.
他属鼠，今年是他的本命年。
tā shǔ shǔ, jīnnián shì tāde běnmìngnián.
He was born in the Year of the Rat, so this year is his zodiac year.
Pro tip: Remember that 老鼠 refers to both rats and mice. For the Chinese zodiac, only 鼠 is used, as in 鼠年 (Year of the Rat).
Related phrases
生肖 · Chinese zodiac你属什么？ · What's your chinese zodiac sign牛 · Ox
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