Today’s word of the day is 猫 (māo) which is a noun that means cat. Let’s practice by making different words, phrases, and sentences with 猫 (māo).
熊猫 (xióng māo) Panda
The first word is 熊猫 (xióng māo) which means ‘panda’. Let’s look at each character of this word, 熊means ‘bear’ and 猫means ‘cat’. A way of using it in a sentence is 熊猫是中国的国宝。(Xióngmāo shì zhōngguó de guóbǎo.) The panda is China’s national treasure.
猫头鹰 (māo tóu yīng) Owl
Another word we can create with 猫 (māo) is 猫头鹰 (māo tóu yīng). This means ‘owl’. Let’s again look at each character of this word, 猫 means cat, 头 means head and 鹰 is eagle. So it literally means ‘cat-headed eagle’. A way of using it in a sentence is 猫头鹰白天睡觉晚上活动。(Māotóuyīng báitiān shuìjiào wǎnshàng huódòng.) Owls sleep during the day and are active at night.
夜猫子 (yè māo zi) Night Owl
Finally, we can create the word 夜猫子 (yè māo zi) which means ‘night owl’. Someone who likes to sleep relatively late. A way of using it in a sentence is 我是个夜猫子。(Wǒ shìgè yèmāozi.) I am a night owl.