Nature Vocabulary in Traditional Chinese: 110+ Easy Words (Not the Poetic Ones)

自然詞彙（繁體中文）

Learn the useful stuff: characters + pinyin + real example sentences (with audio you can tap).

Want to talk about mountains, oceans, weather, plants, and cute-but-suspicious insects—in Traditional Chinese?

You’ll get 110+ nature words and phrases with Traditional characters, pinyin (tone marks), and example sentences you can actually use outside of a documentary voice-over.

Fast-start nature words

自然

zìrán

nature

我喜歡親近自然。

Wǒ xǐhuān qīnjìn zìrán.

I like getting close to nature.

山

shān

mountain

這座山不難爬。

Zhè zuò shān bù nán pá.

This mountain isn’t hard to hike.

森林

sēnlín

forest

森林裡有很多鳥。

Sēnlín lǐ yǒu hěn duō niǎo.

There are many birds in the forest.

海洋

hǎiyáng

ocean

海洋看起來很平靜。

Hǎiyáng kàn qǐlái hěn píngjìng.

The ocean looks calm.

河流

héliú

river

這條河流穿過城市。

Zhè tiáo héliú chuānguò chéngshì.

This river runs through the city.

天空

tiānkōng

sky

今天的天空很藍。

Jīntiān de tiānkōng hěn lán.

The sky is very blue today.

花

huā

flower

公園裡的花開了。

Gōngyuán lǐ de huā kāi le.

The flowers in the park have bloomed.

動物

dòngwù

animal

這裡的動物很怕人。

Zhèlǐ de dòngwù hěn pà rén.

The animals here are afraid of people.

Useful nature phrases and sentences

親近大自然

qīnjìn dà zìrán — get close to nature

週末我想去郊外親近大自然。

Zhōumò wǒ xiǎng qù jiāowài qīnjìn dà zìrán.

On the weekend, I want to get outside the city and be close to nature.

呼吸新鮮空氣

hūxī xīnxiān kōngqì — breathe fresh air

早上散步可以呼吸新鮮空氣。

Zǎoshang sànbù kěyǐ hūxī xīnxiān kōngqì.

A morning walk lets you breathe fresh air.

欣賞風景

xīnshǎng fēngjǐng — enjoy the scenery

我們停下來欣賞風景。

Wǒmen tíng xiàlái xīnshǎng fēngjǐng.

We stopped to enjoy the scenery.

去爬山

qù páshān — go hiking / climb mountains

天氣好的時候，我們常去爬山。

Tiānqì hǎo de shíhou, wǒmen cháng qù páshān.

When the weather is good, we often go hiking.

去海邊

qù hǎibiān — go to the beach

今天太熱了，我想去海邊。

Jīntiān tài rè le, wǒ xiǎng qù hǎibiān.

It’s too hot today—I want to go to the beach.

看日出

kàn rìchū — watch the sunrise

我們很早起來看日出。

Wǒmen hěn zǎo qǐlái kàn rìchū.

We got up early to watch the sunrise.

看夕陽

kàn xīyáng — watch the sunset

在海邊看夕陽很浪漫。

Zài hǎibiān kàn xīyáng hěn làngmàn.

Watching the sunset at the beach is very romantic.

下起雨來

xià qǐ yǔ lái — it starts to rain

走到一半突然下起雨來。

Zǒu dào yíbàn túrán xià qǐ yǔ lái.

Halfway through, it suddenly started raining.

颳風

guā fēng — it’s windy

今天颳風，外套要穿好。

Jīntiān guā fēng, wàitào yào chuān hǎo.

It’s windy today—wear your jacket properly.

天氣變冷

tiānqì biàn lěng — the weather turns cold

晚上天氣變冷，記得帶外套。

Wǎnshàng tiānqì biàn lěng, jìde dài wàitào.

It gets colder at night—remember to bring a jacket.

萬里無雲

wànlǐ wúyún — cloudless (literally “ten-thousand miles no clouds”)

今天萬里無雲，很適合拍照。

Jīntiān wànlǐ wúyún, hěn shìhé pāizhào.

It’s totally cloudless today—great for photos.

大自然很療癒

dà zìrán hěn liáoyù — nature is healing

忙了一週後，大自然真的很療癒。

Máng le yì zhōu hòu, dà zìrán zhēn de hěn liáoyù.

After a busy week, nature really is healing.

Quick curiosity: “森林” vs “樹林”

森林 usually feels like a bigger, deeper forest. 樹林 is more like “a wooded area” or “a grove.” Both are common—pick the vibe you mean.

More nature words (grouped so your brain doesn’t melt)

Landforms & places

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
山脈	shānmài	mountain range	這一帶有很多山脈。 Zhè yí dài yǒu hěn duō shānmài.	This area has many mountain ranges.
山谷	shāngǔ	valley	山谷裡的風很涼。 Shāngǔ lǐ de fēng hěn liáng.	The wind in the valley is cool.
丘陵	qiūlíng	hills	這裡是丘陵地形。 Zhèlǐ shì qiūlíng dìxíng.	This place has hilly terrain.
平原	píngyuán	plain	平原上有大片農田。 Píngyuán shàng yǒu dà piàn nóngtián.	There are large farms on the plains.
高原	gāoyuán	plateau	高原的空氣比較稀薄。 Gāoyuán de kōngqì bǐjiào xībó.	The air on a plateau is thinner.
峽谷	xiágǔ	canyon	峽谷的景色很壯觀。 Xiágǔ de jǐngsè hěn zhuàngguān.	The canyon scenery is spectacular.
懸崖	xuányái	cliff	別靠近懸崖邊。 Bié kàojìn xuányái biān.	Don’t get close to the edge of the cliff.
洞穴	dòngxué	cave	洞穴裡很黑，也很冷。 Dòngxué lǐ hěn hēi, yě hěn lěng.	It’s dark and cold inside the cave.
火山	huǒshān	volcano	那座火山很久沒有噴發了。 Nà zuò huǒshān hěn jiǔ méiyǒu pēnfā le.	That volcano hasn’t erupted in a long time.
沙漠	shāmò	desert	沙漠白天很熱，晚上很冷。 Shāmò báitiān hěn rè, wǎnshàng hěn lěng.	Deserts are hot in the day and cold at night.
綠洲	lǜzhōu	oasis	沙漠裡的綠洲很珍貴。 Shāmò lǐ de lǜzhōu hěn zhēnguì.	An oasis in the desert is precious.
草原	cǎoyuán	grassland	草原上可以看到很多牛羊。 Cǎoyuán shàng kěyǐ kàn dào hěn duō niú yáng.	You can see many cattle and sheep on the grassland.
濕地	shīdì	wetland	濕地是很多鳥類的家。 Shīdì shì hěn duō niǎolèi de jiā.	Wetlands are home to many birds.
沼澤	zhǎozé	marsh / swamp	沼澤地走起來很麻煩。 Zhǎozé dì zǒu qǐlái hěn máfan.	Walking through a swamp is a hassle.
岩石	yánshí	rock	小心地上的岩石，很滑。 Xiǎoxīn dìshàng de yánshí, hěn huá.	Watch the rocks on the ground—they’re slippery.
土壤	tǔrǎng	soil	這裡的土壤很肥沃。 Zhèlǐ de tǔrǎng hěn féiwò.	The soil here is very fertile.
島嶼	dǎoyǔ	island	那座島嶼風景很美。 Nà zuò dǎoyǔ fēngjǐng hěn měi.	The scenery on that island is beautiful.
海岸	hǎi’àn	coast	沿著海岸走很舒服。 Yánzhe hǎi’àn zǒu hěn shūfu.	Walking along the coast feels great.

Water & ocean things

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
湖	hú	lake	這個湖很安靜。 Zhège hú hěn ānjìng.	This lake is very peaceful.
溪流	xīliú	stream	溪流的水很清澈。 Xīliú de shuǐ hěn qīngchè.	The stream water is very clear.
瀑布	pùbù	waterfall	我們聽到瀑布的聲音。 Wǒmen tīng dào pùbù de shēngyīn.	We heard the sound of a waterfall.
海浪	hǎilàng	ocean waves	海浪今天很大。 Hǎilàng jīntiān hěn dà.	The waves are big today.
潮汐	cháoxī	tide	這裡的潮汐變化很明顯。 Zhèlǐ de cháoxī biànhuà hěn míngxiǎn.	The tides here change noticeably.
灣	wān	bay	那個灣很適合看夕陽。 Nàge wān hěn shìhé kàn xīyáng.	That bay is great for watching sunsets.
海峽	hǎixiá	strait	船慢慢穿過海峽。 Chuán mànman chuānguò hǎixiá.	The boat slowly passed through the strait.
珊瑚礁	shānhújiāo	coral reef	珊瑚礁需要乾淨的海水。 Shānhújiāo xūyào gānjìng de hǎishuǐ.	Coral reefs need clean seawater.
泉水	quánshuǐ	spring water	這裡有天然的泉水。 Zhèlǐ yǒu tiānrán de quánshuǐ.	There’s natural spring water here.
地下水	dìxiàshuǐ	groundwater	地下水也需要被保護。 Dìxiàshuǐ yě xūyào bèi bǎohù.	Groundwater also needs protection.
雨水	yǔshuǐ	rainwater	雨水把空氣洗得更乾淨。 Yǔshuǐ bǎ kōngqì xǐ de gèng gānjìng.	Rainwater makes the air feel cleaner.
池塘	chítáng	pond	池塘裡有青蛙在叫。 Chítáng lǐ yǒu qīngwā zài jiào.	Frogs are croaking in the pond.

Sky & weather

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
太陽	tàiyáng	sun	太陽出來了。 Tàiyáng chūlái le.	The sun came out.
月亮	yuèliàng	moon	今晚的月亮很亮。 Jīnwǎn de yuèliàng hěn liàng.	The moon is very bright tonight.
星星	xīngxīng	stars	這裡晚上看得到很多星星。 Zhèlǐ wǎnshàng kàn de dào hěn duō xīngxīng.	You can see lots of stars here at night.
雲	yún	cloud	雲慢慢飄過去。 Yún mànman piāo guòqù.	The clouds drifted by slowly.
彩虹	cǎihóng	rainbow	雨後出現了彩虹。 Yǔ hòu chūxiàn le cǎihóng.	A rainbow appeared after the rain.
霧	wù	fog	早上有點霧。 Zǎoshang yǒudiǎn wù.	There’s a bit of fog in the morning.
露水	lùshuǐ	dew	草上有露水。 Cǎo shàng yǒu lùshuǐ.	There’s dew on the grass.
微風	wēifēng	breeze	微風很舒服。 Wēifēng hěn shūfu.	The breeze feels nice.
強風	qiángfēng	strong wind	強風把樹枝吹斷了。 Qiángfēng bǎ shùzhī chuī duàn le.	The strong wind snapped a branch.
颱風	táifēng	typhoon	颱風天最好待在家。 Táifēng tiān zuìhǎo dāi zài jiā.	On typhoon days, it’s best to stay home.
雷	léi	thunder	我剛剛聽到打雷。 Wǒ gānggāng tīng dào dǎléi.	I just heard thunder.
閃電	shǎndiàn	lightning	閃電一下就過了。 Shǎndiàn yíxià jiù guò le.	The lightning flashed and was gone.
雷雨	léiyǔ	thunderstorm	下午可能有雷雨。 Xiàwǔ kěnéng yǒu léiyǔ.	There might be a thunderstorm this afternoon.
雪	xuě	snow	山上有雪。 Shān shàng yǒu xuě.	There’s snow on the mountain.
霜	shuāng	frost	清晨的霜很白。 Qīngchén de shuāng hěn bái.	The morning frost is very white.
氣溫	qìwēn	temperature	今天氣溫下降了。 Jīntiān qìwēn xiàjiàng le.	The temperature dropped today.
晴朗	qínglǎng	clear / sunny	天氣晴朗，適合出門。 Tiānqì qínglǎng, shìhé chūmén.	The weather is clear—good for going out.
陰天	yīntiān	overcast	陰天的光線很柔和。 Yīntiān de guāngxiàn hěn róuhé.	Overcast light is very soft.

Plants & forest life

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
樹	shù	tree	這棵樹很高。 Zhè kē shù hěn gāo.	This tree is very tall.
松樹	sōngshù	pine tree	松樹一年四季都很綠。 Sōngshù yìnián sìjì dōu hěn lǜ.	Pine trees stay green all year.
竹子	zhúzi	bamboo	竹子長得很快。 Zhúzi zhǎng de hěn kuài.	Bamboo grows quickly.
楓葉	fēngyè	maple leaf	秋天的楓葉很紅。 Qiūtiān de fēngyè hěn hóng.	Maple leaves are very red in autumn.
葉子	yèzi	leaf	這片葉子上有水滴。 Zhè piàn yèzi shàng yǒu shuǐdī.	There are water drops on this leaf.
樹根	shùgēn	root	樹根抓得很牢。 Shùgēn zhuā de hěn láo.	The roots hold on tightly.
樹皮	shùpí	bark	這棵樹的樹皮很粗。 Zhè kē shù de shùpí hěn cū.	This tree’s bark is rough.
花瓣	huābàn	petal	花瓣掉在地上。 Huābàn diào zài dìshàng.	Petals fell onto the ground.
花粉	huāfěn	pollen	春天花粉比較多。 Chūntiān huāfěn bǐjiào duō.	There’s more pollen in spring.
草	cǎo	grass	草地上不能亂丟垃圾。 Cǎodì shàng bùnéng luàn diū lājī.	Don’t litter on the grass.
苔蘚	táixiǎn	moss	石頭上長滿苔蘚。 Shítou shàng zhǎngmǎn táixiǎn.	The rock is covered with moss.
蕨類	juélèi	ferns	這裡的蕨類很多。 Zhèlǐ de juélèi hěn duō.	There are lots of ferns here.
蘑菇	mógū	mushroom	雨後常看到蘑菇。 Yǔ hòu cháng kàn dào mógū.	You often see mushrooms after rain.
種子	zhǒngzi	seed	把種子種進土裡。 Bǎ zhǒngzi zhòng jìn tǔ lǐ.	Plant the seeds in the soil.
果實	guǒshí	fruit (as a result on a plant)	果實成熟了。 Guǒshí chéngshú le.	The fruit has ripened.
嫩芽	nènyá	sprout / young bud	春天會長出嫩芽。 Chūntiān huì zhǎng chū nènyá.	New sprouts grow in spring.
藤蔓	téngwàn	vine	藤蔓爬滿了牆。 Téngwàn pá mǎn le qiáng.	The vines covered the wall.
灌木	guànmù	shrub	路邊的灌木修剪得很整齊。 Lùbiān de guànmù xiūjiǎn de hěn zhěngqí.	The roadside shrubs are neatly trimmed.

Animals & insects

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
鳥	niǎo	bird	鳥在樹上唱歌。 Niǎo zài shù shàng chànggē.	Birds are singing in the trees.
老鷹	lǎoyīng	eagle	老鷹在天空盤旋。 Lǎoyīng zài tiānkōng pánxuán.	An eagle is circling in the sky.
魚	yú	fish	湖裡有很多魚。 Hú lǐ yǒu hěn duō yú.	There are many fish in the lake.
青蛙	qīngwā	frog	下雨後青蛙叫得更大聲。 Xià yǔ hòu qīngwā jiào de gèng dàshēng.	After it rains, frogs croak louder.
烏龜	wūguī	turtle	烏龜走得很慢。 Wūguī zǒu de hěn màn.	Turtles move very slowly.
蛇	shé	snake	看到蛇要保持距離。 Kàn dào shé yào bǎochí jùlí.	If you see a snake, keep your distance.
兔子	tùzi	rabbit	兔子很怕吵。 Tùzi hěn pà chǎo.	Rabbits don’t like loud noise.
鹿	lù	deer	我們遠遠看到一隻鹿。 Wǒmen yuǎnyuǎn kàn dào yì zhī lù.	We saw a deer from far away.
熊	xióng	bear	森林裡可能有熊。 Sēnlín lǐ kěnéng yǒu xióng.	There may be bears in the forest.
狐狸	húli	fox	狐狸跑得很快。 Húli pǎo de hěn kuài.	Foxes run fast.
松鼠	sōngshǔ	squirrel	松鼠在找食物。 Sōngshǔ zài zhǎo shíwù.	A squirrel is looking for food.
蝴蝶	húdié	butterfly	蝴蝶停在花上。 Húdié tíng zài huā shàng.	A butterfly landed on a flower.
蜜蜂	mìfēng	bee	蜜蜂喜歡花蜜。 Mìfēng xǐhuān huāmì.	Bees like nectar.
螞蟻	mǎyǐ	ant	螞蟻排成一條線。 Mǎyǐ pái chéng yì tiáo xiàn.	Ants formed a line.
蜘蛛	zhīzhū	spider	蜘蛛在角落結網。 Zhīzhū zài jiǎoluò jié wǎng.	A spider is making a web in the corner.
蚊子	wénzi	mosquito	夏天蚊子特別多。 Xiàtiān wénzi tèbié duō.	There are especially many mosquitoes in summer.
蟬	chán	cicada	蟬的叫聲很大。 Chán de jiàoshēng hěn dà.	Cicadas are very loud.
螃蟹	pángxiè	crab	海邊的螃蟹躲在石頭下。 Hǎibiān de pángxiè duǒ zài shítou xià.	Seaside crabs hide under rocks.

Environment & conservation

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
氣候	qìhòu	climate	這個地方的氣候很舒服。 Zhège dìfang de qìhòu hěn shūfu.	The climate here is comfortable.
生態	shēngtài	ecology / ecosystem	這片濕地的生態很豐富。 Zhè piàn shīdì de shēngtài hěn fēngfù.	The wetland’s ecosystem is rich.
環保	huánbǎo	eco-friendly / environmental protection	我們可以用環保杯。 Wǒmen kěyǐ yòng huánbǎo bēi.	We can use a reusable eco cup.
污染	wūrǎn	pollution	海洋污染會傷害動物。 Hǎiyáng wūrǎn huì shānghài dòngwù.	Ocean pollution harms animals.
回收	huíshōu	recycle	塑膠瓶要記得回收。 Sùjiāo píng yào jìde huíshōu.	Remember to recycle plastic bottles.
自然保護區	zìrán bǎohùqū	nature reserve	自然保護區不能亂走。 Zìrán bǎohùqū bùnéng luàn zǒu.	You can’t wander freely in a nature reserve.
自然資源	zìrán zīyuán	natural resources	自然資源不是用不完的。 Zìrán zīyuán bú shì yòng bù wán de.	Natural resources aren’t endless.
野生動物	yěshēng dòngwù	wildlife	我們要保護野生動物。 Wǒmen yào bǎohù yěshēng dòngwù.	We should protect wildlife.

Optional: handy measure words (so you sound natural)

Pattern	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
一座山	yí zuò shān	one mountain (座 for big things)	那裡有一座山。 Nàlǐ yǒu yí zuò shān.	There’s a mountain there.
一條河	yì tiáo hé	one river (條 for long things)	村子旁邊有一條河。 Cūnzi pángbiān yǒu yì tiáo hé.	There’s a river beside the village.
一片森林	yí piàn sēnlín	a stretch/area of forest (片 for areas)	前面是一片森林。 Qiánmiàn shì yí piàn sēnlín.	There’s a forest area ahead.
一棵樹	yì kē shù	one tree (棵 for plants/trees)	那棵樹很漂亮。 Nà kē shù hěn piàoliang.	That tree is beautiful.
一朵花	yì duǒ huā	one flower (朵 for flowers/clouds)	我撿到一朵花。 Wǒ jiǎn dào yì duǒ huā.	I picked up a flower.
一陣風	yí zhèn fēng	a gust of wind (陣 for bursts)	突然來了一陣風。 Túrán lái le yí zhèn fēng.	A gust of wind suddenly came.
一滴雨	yì dī yǔ	a drop of rain (滴 for drops)	我臉上有一滴雨。 Wǒ liǎn shàng yǒu yì dī yǔ.	There’s a drop of rain on my face.
一隻鳥	yì zhī niǎo	one bird (隻 for animals)	我看到一隻鳥飛走了。 Wǒ kàn dào yì zhī niǎo fēi zǒu le.	I saw a bird fly away.