Chinese word

鲨鱼

Pronunciation

Pinyinshā yú

Meaning

  • nounshark

Example

我看见了一条鲨鱼。wǒ kàn jiàn le yì tiáo shā yú

I saw a shark.

Illustration for 鲨鱼 (shark)

More examples

潜水员差点被鲨鱼攻击。qián shuǐ yuán chà diǎn bèi shā yú gōng jī

The diver was almost attacked by a shark.

Core concept

The familiar image of a sleek, large fish patrolling the ocean as a top predator.

Common phrases

  • 一条鲨鱼yì tiáo shā yú

    a shark

  • 被鲨鱼攻击bèi shā yú gōng jī

    be attacked by a shark

  • 鲨鱼出没shā yú chū mò

    sharks appear

Similar words

鱼yú: An animal that lives in water and takes in oxygen through gills.
鲸鱼jīng yú: A very large sea mammal that surfaces to breathe and feeds its young with milk.
海豚hǎi tún: An intelligent swimming sea mammal that often travels in groups and surfaces for air.

Definition in Chinese

一种生活在海洋中的大型肉食鱼类，身体呈流线型，口有多列锋利牙齿，以鱼类和其他海洋动物为食。yì zhǒng shēng huó zài hǎi yáng zhōng de dà xíng ròu shí yú lèi shēn tǐ chéng liú xiàn xíng kǒu yǒu duō liè fēng lì yá chǐ yǐ yú lèi hé qí tā hǎi yáng dòng wù wèi shí

Word origin

鲨鱼 (shāyú, "shark") is a compound that pairs the specific animal name 鲨 (shā, "shark") with 鱼 (yú, "fish"), a pattern that identifies it as a kind of fish.

Usage tips

  • For a single shark, the classifier 条 (tiáo, "measure word for long, flexible animals") comes between the number and noun, making 一条鲨鱼 (yì tiáo shāyú, "one shark") the natural counting form.

Related words

  • 鲨鱼皮shā yú píshark skinnoun
  • 鲨鱼肉shā yú ròushark meatnoun

Word lists with this word