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Meaning Index

Chinese characters meaning "mouse"

Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "mouse", including 鼠 (shǔ), 耗 (hào). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.

How to Study This Meaning Group

The English word "mouse" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 鼠 (shǔ), 耗 (hào) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shǔ, hào — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 鼠 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.

  • 鼠 shǔrat; mouseUseful words: 老鼠, 鼠标
  • 耗 hàomouse; new; to waste; to spend; to consume; to squanderUseful words: 消耗, 耗费

Common words for these 2 "mouse" characters

Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 鼠 (shǔ) — so "mouse" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.

See each character in a sentence

Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "mouse".

shǔ — rat; mouse

猫是老鼠的天敌。Māo shì lǎo shǔ de tiān dí.Cats are the natural enemies of mice.

Common words: 老鼠 (lǎo shǔ)、鼠标 (shǔ biāo)、大鼠 (dà shǔ)

hào — mouse; new; to waste; to spend; to consume; to squander

这件事耗费了我们很多时间和精力。Zhè jiàn shì hào fèi le wǒ men hěn duō shí jiān hé jīng lì.This matter consumed a lot of our time and energy.

Common words: 消耗 (xiāo hào)、耗费 (hào fèi)、耗时 (hào shí)

All 2 characters

Open 鼠、耗 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.