Dinosaurs in Chinese | 19 Names & Their Meanings

Exploring Dinosaurs’ Names in Mandarin

Dinosaur in Chinese is a surprisingly rare topic in the world of Chinese vocabulary articles, so we decided to fill in the gap with plenty of names and their meanings. 

Discover dinos’ names like never before and let us know in the comments which one is your favourite! 

But first things first, dinosaur in Chinese is: 

恐龙 (kǒnglóng)

The character 恐 means “terrifying”, 龙 means “dragon” – which definitely makes sense to us!

Whether you’re a beginner student or simply curious about the Chinese language, this article will introduce you to some commonly known dinosaurs along with their Chinese characters, pinyin, and English translations.  

Let’s get started!

Dinosaur in Chinese | Herbivores

Dinosaur in Chinese | Carnivores

Dinosaur in Chinese | Omnivores

Dinosaur in Chinese | Summary

Dinosaur in Chinese | FAQ’s

Dinosaurs in Chinese | Herbivores

Ankylosaurus

Ankylosaurus in Chinese is 甲龙 (jiǎlóng).

• 甲 (jiǎ) – means armor or shell
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Putting it together, the name “甲龙” can be translated as “Armoured Dragon” or “Ankylosaurus.”

Brachiosaurus

Brachiosaurus in Chinese is 长颈鹿龙 (chángjǐnglùlóng).

• 长颈鹿 (chángjǐnglù) – means giraffe
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Putting it together, the name “长颈鹿龙” can be translated as “Long-Necked Dragon”.

Diplodocus

Diplodocus in Chinese is 梁龙 (liáng lóng).

• 梁 (liáng) – means beam or a bridge
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Putting it together, the name “梁龙” can be translated as “Beam Dragon”.

Olorotitan

Olorotitan in Chinese 天鹅龙 (tiān é lóng).

• 天 (tiān) – means heaven or sky
• 鹅 (é) – means goose
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Note || 天鹅, the two characters together mean “swan”. 

Putting it together,  “天鹅龙” can be translated as “Swan Dragon” or “Titanic swan.”

Stegoceras

Stegoceras in Chinese is 铁甲龙 (tiě jiǎ lóng).

• 铁 (tiě) – means iron or metal
• 甲 (jiǎ) – means armour or shell
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Putting it together, “铁甲龙” can be translated as “Iron Shell Dragon” or “Metal Armour Dragon”.

Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus in Chinese is 剑龙 (jiàn lóng).

• 剑 (jiàn) – means sword
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Putting it together, the name “剑龙” can be translated as “Sword Dragon” or “Sword-Like Dragon.”

Therizinosaurus

Therizinosaurus in Chinese is 腕龙 (wàn lóng).

• 腕 (wàn) – means wrist or forearm
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Putting it together, the name “腕龙” can be translated as “Wrist Dragon” or “Therizinosaurus.” It describes a dinosaur species known for its long forelimbs or “wrist-like” structures.

Triceratops

Triceratops in Chinese is 三角龙 (sānjiǎolóng).

• 三 (sān) – means number three
• 角 (jiǎo) – means horn or antler
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Putting it together, the name “三角龙” can be translated as “Three-Horned Dragon” or “Triceratops.”

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Dinosaurs in Chinese | Carnivores

Allosaurus

Allosaurus in Chinese is 暴龙 (bào lóng).

• 暴 (bào) – means violent
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

As you probably already noticed, both characters put together can be translated by “Violent Dragon”.

Dilophosaurus

Dilophosaurus in Chinese is 裂谷龙 (liègǔlóng).

• 裂谷 (liègǔ) – means rift valley
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Putting it together, the name “裂谷龙” can be translated as “Rift Valley Dragon”.

Elasmosaurus

Elasmosaurus in Chinese is 蛇颈龙 (shé jǐng lóng).

• 蛇 (shé) – means snake
• 颈 (jǐng) – means neck
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Putting it together, the name “蛇颈龙” can be translated as “Snake-Neck Dragon” or “Elasmosaurus.”

Pterosaur

Pterosaur in Chinese is 翼手龙 (yìshǒulóng).

• 翼手 (yìshǒu) – means winged hand
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Tyrannosaurus Rex in Chinese is 霸王龙 (bàwánglóng).

• 霸王 (bàwáng) – means tyrant
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

A very straight-forward name directly inspired by the English name. A T-Rex in Chinese is a “Tyrant Dragon”.

Velociraptor

Velociraptor in Chinese is 伶盗龙 (líng dào lóng).

• 伶 (líng) – means clever or quick-witted
• 盗 (dào) – means thief or robber
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Putting it together, the name “伶盗龙” can be translated as “Clever Thief Dragon” or “Astute Robber Dragon”.

Body Parts in Chinese 👤 From Head to Toe

Identifying and naming correctly the parts of the body in Mandarin can come in handy when seeing the doctor, playing sports, going clothes shopping, and more.

Dinosaurs in Chinese | Omnivores

Archaeopteryx

Archaeopteryx in Chinese is 始祖鸟 (shǐzǔniǎo).

• 始祖 (shǐzǔ) – means ancestor
• 鸟 (niǎo) – means bird

The name “始祖鸟” can be translated by “Ancient Bird”.

Confuciusornis

Confuciusornis in Chinese is 迷惑龙 (míhuò lóng).

• 迷惑 (míhuò) – means puzzled
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

Hadrosauridae

Hadrosauridae in Chinese is 鸭嘴龙 (yāzuǐlóng)

• 鸭 (yā) – means duck
• 嘴 (zuǐ) – means beak or bill
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

The name “鸭嘴龙” can be translated as “Duck-Billed Dragon” or “Hadrosaurus.”

Plesiosaurus

Plesiosaurus in Chinese is 蛇脖龙 (shé bó lóng).

• 蛇 (shé) – means snake
• 脖 (bó) – means neck
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon

The name “蛇脖龙” can be translated as “Snake Neck Dragon”

Sinosauropteryx 

Sinosauropteryx in Chinese is 中华龙鸟 (zhōnghuá lóngniǎo).

• 中华 (zhōnghuá) – refers to China or Chinese
• 龙 (lóng) – means dragon
• 鸟 (niǎo) – means bird

Putting it together, the name “中华龙鸟” can be translated as “Chinese Dragon Bird”.

Dinosaurs in Chinese | Summary

Now that we’ve explored some dinosaur names in Mandarin, let’s review the key vocabulary terms we’ve covered:

Let us know in the comments which dinosaur is your favourite 🦕

Dinosaurs in Chinese || FAQs

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