Butterfly in Chinese
The Chinese word for butterfly is 蝴蝶 (hú dié). The everyday word for butterfly.
hú dié
Butterfly
What 蝴蝶 means.
In the famous Butterfly Lovers legend (梁山伯与祝英台), two lovers kept apart in life rise from the grave as a pair of butterflies, so butterflies stand for lasting love. The philosopher Zhuangzi also dreamed he was a butterfly.
- 蝴
- butterfly (first syllable)
- 蝶
- butterfly
Simplified and traditional
蝴蝶
蝴蝶
蝴蝶 is written the same way in simplified and traditional Chinese, so every Chinese reader recognises it.
About butterfly in Chinese
How do you write butterfly in Chinese?
Butterfly is 蝴蝶 in Chinese, pronounced hú dié. Butterfly 蝴 means “butterfly (first syllable)”, 蝶 means “butterfly”.
How do you pronounce 蝴蝶?
Say hú (second tone, rising), dié (second tone, rising). Mandarin tones change meaning, so it is worth listening to a native speaker once.
Is 蝴蝶 different in traditional Chinese?
No. 蝴蝶 is written the same way in simplified and traditional Chinese.
Is 蝴蝶 a good Chinese tattoo?
Yes, it is a real, everyday Chinese word rather than a machine translation, so Chinese readers will understand it. Keep the characters in their order, top to bottom or left to right, and never mirrored. Choose a readable style such as Kaishu, bring a clean reference to your artist, and show it to a fluent reader before your appointment.