Why does the Chinese word for "Tiger" sound like
Lao-hoo?!

老虎

The Real Meaning

In Mandarin Chinese, the character 老虎 (pronounced as lǎo hǔ) actually translates to Tiger.

The Funny Part

Literally 'old tiger'. In Chinese, adding 老 (old) to animals is a sign of respect. Even for tigers.

Share this word:
+

Nice Teacher says...

Toggle teacher mode in the top nav

老虎 means tiger! lǎo hǔ — adding 老 (old) to animals is a sign of respect in Chinese.