牛 (niú) — how to say "cow" in Chinese

牛

Cow

noun · adjective

  1. 1. cow; ox; bullHSK 3.0 · level 3

    noun

  2. 2. awesome; great; stubbornHSK 3.0 · level 5

    adjective

Radicals / Keys

牛

Cow

#93 · niú · 4 strokes

Collocations

牛肉

niú ròu

beef

Examples

田里有三头牛在吃草。

There are three cows eating grass in the field.

牛很大。

The cow is big.

Mnemonic

Mnemonic for 牛 (niú) — cow

[niú-] Niu walked to the meadow and saw a big 牛. The 牛 chewed grass and mooed, «moo». Niu handed it a bundle of hay, and the 牛 nodded happily. 🐄

Writing

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say "cow" in Chinese?

"cow" in Chinese is 牛 (niú).

What does 牛 mean in Chinese?

牛 (niú) means "Cow".

Cow in Chinese pronunciation

It is pronounced niú (written as niu). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.

Cow in Chinese character

It is written 牛 and has 4 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.

What HSK 3.0 level is 牛?

牛 is on the HSK 3.0 level 3 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.

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Grammar with 牛

More HSK 3.0 level 3 words