长颈鹿 (cháng jǐng lù)

noun HSK 4

Traditional 長頸鹿

cháng jǐng lù

giraffe

Meaning

长颈鹿 refers to the giraffe, the tall African mammal known for its extraordinarily long neck. The word literally means 'long-neck deer,' describing the animal's most distinctive physical feature.

Usage

This is the standard term for giraffe in Mandarin Chinese. It's commonly used when discussing animals, zoos, or African wildlife. Children learn this word early when studying animal vocabulary.

Examples

01
动物园里的长颈鹿正在吃树叶。
Dòng wù yuán lǐ de cháng jǐng lù zhèng zài chī shù yè.
The giraffes in the zoo are eating leaves.
02
长颈鹿是世界上最高的陆地动物。
Cháng jǐng lù shì shì jiè shàng zuì gāo de lù dì dòng wù.
The giraffe is the tallest land animal in the world.

Characters

Measure words

只zhī一只长颈鹿
头tóu两头长颈鹿

Origin

The word is a descriptive compound created when the giraffe was first introduced to Chinese speakers, combining 长 (long), 颈 (neck), and 鹿 (deer) to describe the animal as resembling a deer with an unusually long neck.