Traditional Chinese Insects Vocabulary: 100+ Easy Words

This is your practical, real-life bug list: Traditional Chinese characters, pinyin (tone marks), and short example sentences you can actually use.

You’ll be ready to complain about mosquitoes, identify cute butterflies, and politely request that someone else deals with the cockroach. (We’re all brave in theory.)

Yak Snark

If you can say “There’s a bug” and “Please remove it,” you’re basically fluent in 80% of summer conversations.

The “I See It In My House” Starter Cards

Tap 🔊 to hear the Hanzi. Pinyin is there so your tones don’t wander off and join the ants.

蚊子

wénzi

mosquito

昨晚我被蚊子叮了。 Zuówǎn wǒ bèi wénzi dīng le.
“I got bitten by a mosquito last night.”

蟑螂

zhāngláng

cockroach

廚房有一隻蟑螂。 Chúfáng yǒu yì zhī zhāngláng.
“There’s a cockroach in the kitchen.”

螞蟻

mǎyǐ

ant

桌上有螞蟻。 Zhuō shàng yǒu mǎyǐ.
“There are ants on the table.”

蒼蠅

cāngying

fly

蒼蠅一直在嗡嗡叫。 Cāngying yìzhí zài wēngwēng jiào.
“The fly keeps buzzing.”

蜜蜂

mìfēng

bee

花園裡有蜜蜂。 Huāyuán lǐ yǒu mìfēng.
“There are bees in the garden.”

蝴蝶

húdié

butterfly

我看到一隻蝴蝶。 Wǒ kàn dào yì zhī húdié.
“I saw a butterfly.”

小蟲

xiǎochóng

small bug (generic)

燈一開就有小蟲飛來。 Dēng yì kāi jiù yǒu xiǎochóng fēi lái.
“As soon as the light is on, little bugs fly over.”

害蟲

hàichóng

pest (harmful insect)

這些害蟲會吃葉子。 Zhèxiē hàichóng huì chī yèzi.
“These pests eat leaves.”

Useful Bug Phrases People Actually Say

These are copy-paste lines for real life: home, park, “why is it flying at my face,” etc.

快關窗，有蚊子！

Kuài guān chuāng, yǒu wénzi!

Close the window—there are mosquitoes!

我被蚊子叮了。

Wǒ bèi wénzi dīng le.

I got bitten by a mosquito.

別讓蟑螂跑掉！

Bié ràng zhāngláng pǎo diào!

Don’t let the cockroach get away!

幫我抓蟑螂。

Bāng wǒ zhuā zhāngláng.

Help me catch the cockroach.

這裡好多螞蟻。

Zhèlǐ hǎo duō mǎyǐ.

There are so many ants here.

牠在牆上爬。

Tā zài qiáng shàng pá.

It’s crawling on the wall.

小心，會叮人。

Xiǎoxīn, huì dīng rén.

Careful—it stings/bites people.

我對蜜蜂過敏。

Wǒ duì mìfēng guòmǐn.

I’m allergic to bees.

牠飛進來了！

Tā fēi jìn lái le!

It flew inside!

開燈會招蟲。

Kāi dēng huì zhāo chóng.

Turning on the light attracts bugs.

這是益蟲，不是害蟲。

Zhè shì yìchóng, bú shì hàichóng.

It’s a beneficial insect, not a pest.

外面在叫的是蟬。

Wàimiàn zài jiào de shì chán.

The sound outside is cicadas.

A tiny language note (because your brain will ask anyway)

In everyday Chinese, people often use 蟲 like “bug/creepy-crawly,” even when it’s not technically an insect. That’s why you’ll hear things like 蜘蛛 (spider) in “bug talk.” Science class can relax; real life is messy.

More Insect Vocabulary

Tables are grouped so you don’t get hit with one giant wall of nope.

Table Home & apartment “visitors”

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
昆蟲	kūnchóng	insect	我不太敢碰昆蟲。 Wǒ bù tài gǎn pèng kūnchóng.	I don’t really dare touch insects.
益蟲	yìchóng	beneficial insect	瓢蟲通常是益蟲。 Piáochóng tōngcháng shì yìchóng.	Ladybugs are usually beneficial insects.
果蠅	guǒyíng	fruit fly	水果放久了會有果蠅。 Shuǐguǒ fàng jiǔ le huì yǒu guǒyíng.	Leave fruit out too long and you’ll get fruit flies.
白蟻	báiyǐ	termite	木頭怕白蟻。 Mùtou pà báiyǐ.	Wood is vulnerable to termites.
臭蟲	chòuchóng	bedbug	旅館最怕遇到臭蟲。 Lǚguǎn zuì pà yùdào chòuchóng.	The worst thing at a hotel is running into bedbugs.
跳蚤	tiàozǎo	flea	這隻狗可能有跳蚤。 Zhè zhī gǒu kěnéng yǒu tiàozǎo.	This dog might have fleas.
蝨子	shīzi	louse	小朋友容易互相傳蝨子。 Xiǎopéngyǒu róngyì hùxiāng chuán shīzi.	Kids can easily pass lice to each other.
蟎	mǎn	mite	塵蟎會讓人打噴嚏。 Chénmǎn huì ràng rén dǎ pēntì.	Dust mites can make people sneeze.
蜱	pí	tick	去草地要小心蜱。 Qù cǎodì yào xiǎoxīn pí.	Be careful of ticks in grassy areas.
衣魚	yīyú	silverfish	衣魚喜歡潮濕的地方。 Yīyú xǐhuān cháoshī de dìfāng.	Silverfish like damp places.
蠼螋	qúsōu	earwig	我在浴室看到蠼螋。 Wǒ zài yùshì kàn dào qúsōu.	I saw an earwig in the bathroom.
蜘蛛	zhīzhū	spider (often called a “bug”)	角落有一隻蜘蛛。 Jiǎoluò yǒu yì zhī zhīzhū.	There’s a spider in the corner.
蜈蚣	wúgōng	centipede	門口爬過一隻蜈蚣。 Ménkǒu pá guò yì zhī wúgōng.	A centipede crawled past the doorway.
馬陸	mǎlù	millipede	下雨後容易看到馬陸。 Xiàyǔ hòu róngyì kàn dào mǎlù.	After rain, it’s easy to see millipedes.

Table Garden & park insects

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
蜻蜓	qīngtíng	dragonfly	我看到一隻蜻蜓。 Wǒ kàn dào yì zhī qīngtíng.	I saw a dragonfly.
豆娘	dòuniáng	damselfly	豆娘停在葉子上。 Dòuniáng tíng zài yèzi shàng.	A damselfly is resting on a leaf.
螢火蟲	yínghuǒchóng	firefly	夏天晚上有螢火蟲。 Xiàtiān wǎnshàng yǒu yínghuǒchóng.	There are fireflies on summer nights.
瓢蟲	piáochóng	ladybug	瓢蟲很可愛。 Piáochóng hěn kě’ài.	Ladybugs are cute.
螳螂	tángláng	praying mantis	螳螂在草叢裡。 Tángláng zài cǎocóng lǐ.	A praying mantis is in the grass.
竹節蟲	zhújiéchóng	stick insect	竹節蟲很會偽裝。 Zhújiéchóng hěn huì wěizhuāng.	Stick insects are great at camouflage.
蟬	chán	cicada	蟬叫得很大聲。 Chán jiào de hěn dàshēng.	The cicadas are really loud.
蟋蟀	xīshuài	cricket	晚上聽得到蟋蟀。 Wǎnshàng tīng de dào xīshuài.	You can hear crickets at night.
蚱蜢	zhàměng	grasshopper	蚱蜢會跳得很遠。 Zhàměng huì tiào de hěn yuǎn.	Grasshoppers can jump far.
蝗蟲	huángchóng	locust	蝗蟲會吃掉農作物。 Huángchóng huì chī diào nóngzuòwù.	Locusts can eat up crops.
毛毛蟲	máomáochóng	caterpillar	我在葉子上看到毛毛蟲。 Wǒ zài yèzi shàng kàn dào máomáochóng.	I saw a caterpillar on a leaf.
甲蟲	jiǎchóng	beetle	這隻甲蟲顏色很亮。 Zhè zhī jiǎchóng yánsè hěn liàng.	This beetle is very bright-colored.
獨角仙	dújiǎoxiān	rhinoceros beetle	小朋友很愛獨角仙。 Xiǎopéngyǒu hěn ài dújiǎoxiān.	Kids really love rhinoceros beetles.
鍬形蟲	qiāoxíngchóng	stag beetle	鍬形蟲的夾子很明顯。 Qiāoxíngchóng de jiāzi hěn míngxiǎn.	The stag beetle’s pincers are obvious.
天牛	tiānniú	longhorn beetle	天牛的觸角很長。 Tiānniú de chùjiǎo hěn cháng.	Longhorn beetles have very long antennae.
象鼻蟲	xiàngbíchóng	weevil	象鼻蟲的嘴像小鼻子。 Xiàngbíchóng de zuǐ xiàng xiǎo bízi.	A weevil’s mouth looks like a tiny nose.
蜉蝣	fúyóu	mayfly	蜉蝣的生命很短。 Fúyóu de shēngmìng hěn duǎn.	Mayflies have short lives.
水黽	shuǐmǐn	water strider	水黽可以在水面上走。 Shuǐmǐn kěyǐ zài shuǐmiàn shàng zǒu.	Water striders can walk on the water’s surface.
蚜蟲	yáchóng	aphid	蚜蟲會吸植物的汁。 Yáchóng huì xī zhíwù de zhī.	Aphids suck sap from plants.
蟻巢	yǐcháo	ant nest	草地裡有蟻巢。 Cǎodì lǐ yǒu yǐcháo.	There’s an ant nest in the grass.

Table Bees & stingers

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
黃蜂	huángfēng	wasp	我看到一隻黃蜂。 Wǒ kàn dào yì zhī huángfēng.	I saw a wasp.
馬蜂	mǎfēng	hornet	馬蜂看起來比較大。 Mǎfēng kàn qǐlái bǐjiào dà.	Hornets look bigger.
蜂巢	fēngcháo	beehive/wasp nest	那棵樹上有蜂巢。 Nà kē shù shàng yǒu fēngcháo.	There’s a nest on that tree.
蜂后	fēnghòu	queen bee	蜂后負責產卵。 Fēnghòu fùzé chǎnluǎn.	The queen bee is responsible for laying eggs.
工蜂	gōngfēng	worker bee	工蜂會採花蜜。 Gōngfēng huì cǎi huāmì.	Worker bees collect nectar.
雄蜂	xióngfēng	drone bee	雄蜂沒有螫針。 Xióngfēng méiyǒu zhēzhēn.	Drone bees don’t have stingers.
蜂蜜	fēngmì	honey	我喜歡蜂蜜檸檬水。 Wǒ xǐhuān fēngmì níngméngshuǐ.	I like honey lemon water.
毒針	dúzhēn	stinger	牠的毒針在尾巴。 Tā de dúzhēn zài wěibā.	Its stinger is on its tail.
毒液	dúyè	venom	被叮後可能會有毒液反應。 Bèi dīng hòu kěnéng huì yǒu dúyè fǎnyìng.	After a sting, you might react to the venom.
叮咬	dīngyǎo	bite/sting	昆蟲叮咬會很癢。 Kūnchóng dīngyǎo huì hěn yǎng.	Insect bites can be very itchy.
蜂螫	fēngzhē	bee/wasp sting	他被蜂螫到手。 Tā bèi fēngzhē dào shǒu.	He got stung on the hand.
過敏	guòmǐn	allergy	他對蜂螫會過敏。 Tā duì fēngzhē huì guòmǐn.	He’s allergic to stings.

Table Life cycle

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
卵	luǎn	egg	昆蟲會在葉子上產卵。 Kūnchóng huì zài yèzi shàng chǎn luǎn.	Insects lay eggs on leaves.
蟲卵	chóngluǎn	insect eggs	這些小點點是蟲卵。 Zhèxiē xiǎo diǎndiǎn shì chóngluǎn.	These tiny dots are insect eggs.
卵鞘	luǎnqiào	egg case	蟑螂會留下卵鞘。 Zhāngláng huì liú xià luǎnqiào.	Cockroaches can leave egg cases.
幼蟲	yòuchóng	larva	幼蟲和成蟲長得不一樣。 Yòuchóng hé chéngchóng zhǎng de bù yíyàng.	Larvae look different from adults.
蛹	yǒng	pupa	牠現在是蛹。 Tā xiànzài shì yǒng.	It’s a pupa right now.
繭	jiǎn	cocoon	毛毛蟲會結繭。 Máomáochóng huì jié jiǎn.	Caterpillars make cocoons.
成蟲	chéngchóng	adult insect	成蟲會開始飛。 Chéngchóng huì kāishǐ fēi.	The adult insect will start flying.
變態	biàntài	metamorphosis	蝴蝶的變態很神奇。 Húdié de biàntài hěn shénqí.	Butterfly metamorphosis is amazing.
蛻皮	tuìpí	molt (shed skin)	牠長大時會蛻皮。 Tā zhǎngdà shí huì tuìpí.	It molts as it grows.
孵化	fūhuà	hatch	蟲卵快孵化了。 Chóngluǎn kuài fūhuà le.	The eggs are about to hatch.

Table Body parts

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
觸角	chùjiǎo	antennae	牠的觸角一直在動。 Tā de chùjiǎo yìzhí zài dòng.	Its antennae keep moving.
翅膀	chìbǎng	wings	蝴蝶的翅膀很漂亮。 Húdié de chìbǎng hěn piàoliang.	A butterfly’s wings are beautiful.
腹部	fùbù	abdomen	牠的腹部一節一節的。 Tā de fùbù yì jié yì jié de.	Its abdomen is segmented.
胸部	xiōngbù	thorax	昆蟲的腳長在胸部。 Kūnchóng de jiǎo zhǎng zài xiōngbù.	An insect’s legs attach to the thorax.
頭部	tóubù	head	牠的頭部有複眼。 Tā de tóubù yǒu fùyǎn.	Its head has compound eyes.
腿	tuǐ	leg	牠的腿很細。 Tā de tuǐ hěn xì.	Its legs are thin.
六隻腳	liù zhī jiǎo	six legs	昆蟲通常有六隻腳。 Kūnchóng tōngcháng yǒu liù zhī jiǎo.	Insects usually have six legs.
複眼	fùyǎn	compound eyes	蒼蠅有很大的複眼。 Cāngying yǒu hěn dà de fùyǎn.	Flies have big compound eyes.
口器	kǒuqì	mouthparts	不同昆蟲的口器不一樣。 Bùtóng kūnchóng de kǒuqì bù yíyàng.	Different insects have different mouthparts.
大顎	dà’è	mandibles	甲蟲會用大顎夾東西。 Jiǎchóng huì yòng dà’è jiā dōngxi.	Beetles use mandibles to grip things.

Table Sounds, movement & pest control

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
爬行	páxíng	crawl	牠在地上爬行。 Tā zài dìshàng páxíng.	It’s crawling on the floor.
飛行	fēixíng	fly (movement)	牠靠飛行逃走了。 Tā kào fēixíng táozǒu le.	It escaped by flying.
跳躍	tiàoyuè	jump	蚱蜢會跳躍。 Zhàměng huì tiàoyuè.	Grasshoppers jump.
嗡嗡聲	wēngwēng shēng	buzzing sound	我聽到嗡嗡聲。 Wǒ tīng dào wēngwēng shēng.	I heard buzzing.
夜行性	yèxíngxìng	nocturnal	有些昆蟲是夜行性。 Yǒuxiē kūnchóng shì yèxíngxìng.	Some insects are nocturnal.
群聚	qúnjù	swarm/gather	牠們會群聚在燈旁。 Tāmen huì qúnjù zài dēng páng.	They gather around the light.
偽裝	wěizhuāng	camouflage	竹節蟲很會偽裝。 Zhújiéchóng hěn huì wěizhuāng.	Stick insects camouflage well.
發光	fāguāng	glow	螢火蟲會發光。 Yínghuǒchóng huì fāguāng.	Fireflies glow.
蛀洞	zhùdòng	bore hole (wormhole in wood)	木頭上有蛀洞。 Mùtou shàng yǒu zhùdòng.	There are bore holes in the wood.
殺蟲劑	shāchóngjì	insecticide	我用殺蟲劑噴了一下。 Wǒ yòng shāchóngjì pēn le yíxià.	I sprayed some insecticide.
驅蚊液	qūwén yè	mosquito repellent	出門前擦驅蚊液。 Chūmén qián cā qūwén yè.	Put on repellent before going out.
蚊香	wénxiāng	mosquito coil	晚上點蚊香比較安心。 Wǎnshàng diǎn wénxiāng bǐjiào ānxīn.	Lighting a coil at night feels safer.
捕蚊燈	bǔwén dēng	mosquito trap lamp	客廳放一台捕蚊燈。 Kètīng fàng yì tái bǔwén dēng.	Put a mosquito trap lamp in the living room.
電蚊拍	diànwén pāi	electric mosquito swatter	我用電蚊拍打蚊子。 Wǒ yòng diànwén pāi dǎ wénzi.	I used an electric swatter on a mosquito.
黏蟲板	niánchóng bǎn	sticky trap	角落放黏蟲板。 Jiǎoluò fàng niánchóng bǎn.	Put a sticky trap in the corner.
紗窗	shāchuāng	screen window	有紗窗比較不會進蟲。 Yǒu shāchuāng bǐjiào bú huì jìn chóng.	With window screens, fewer bugs get in.

Optional variants: measure words & slang

Because saying “one mosquito” without a measure word feels… unfinished.

Use it like this	Meaning	Example (ZH + pinyin)
一隻 + 昆蟲	“one” for most insects	我看到一隻蚊子。 Wǒ kàn dào yì zhī wénzi.
一條 + 毛毛蟲	“one” for long/wormy bugs	葉子上有一條毛毛蟲。 Yèzi shàng yǒu yì tiáo máomáochóng.
一群 + 昆蟲	a swarm/group	燈旁邊有一群昆蟲。 Dēng pángbiān yǒu yì qún kūnchóng.
小強	Taiwan slang for “cockroach” (yes, really)	我家剛剛出現一隻小強。 Wǒ jiā gānggāng chūxiàn yì zhī xiǎoqiáng.

Yak Snark (again)

Congrats. You can now identify bugs, describe their crimes, and request backup. That’s basically an action movie—but smaller.

If you want, you can tell me your level (beginner / intermediate) and I’ll re-sort this list into “must-know first” vs. “nature documentary vibes.”