Chinese character for panda: 熊猫 (xióngmāo)
The Chinese word for panda is 熊猫 (xióngmāo), literally 'bear cat'. The giant panda is 大熊猫 (dà xióngmāo). It is China's best-loved animal and a national symbol of friendship.
How 熊猫 is built
熊 (xióng) means bear: its top 能 was once a picture of a bear and the four dots 灬 were added below. 猫 (māo) means cat, joining the animal radical 犭 with 苗 (miáo) for the sound; the traditional form is 貓. So the panda is a 'bear-cat'. In Taiwan the order is sometimes reversed as 猫熊 (cat-bear), which means the same animal.
熊 xióng · bear
- 能néng — can
- 厶sī — private
- ⺼ — meat
- 匕bǐ — spoon
- 乚 — hook stroke
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 匕bǐ — spoon
- 乚 — hook stroke
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 灬huǒ — fire
猫 māo · cat
- 犭quǎn — dog
- 苗miáo — sprouts
- 艹cǎo — grass
- 田tián — field
- 冂 — frame
- 土tǔ — earth
Origin hint: 犭 gives the meaning, 苗 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 熊猫 is used
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: Mainland usage is 熊猫, while 貓熊 is also used in Taiwan; choose the form that matches your readers.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for panda?
熊猫 (xióngmāo) means “panda”. In traditional characters it is written 熊貓.
How do you pronounce 熊猫?
熊猫 is pronounced xióngmāo.
Is 熊猫 simplified or traditional?
熊猫 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore; 熊貓 is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.