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Animals in Dutch

🇳🇱 Dieren
📖 7 min read  |  🏷️ Vocabulary  |  🌐 DutchEnglish.com

The animal kingdom is a fascinating area of Dutch vocabulary. Whether you love pets, enjoy wildlife documentaries or simply want to chat about the animals at the zoo, this guide has you covered. Dutch animal names often have logical compound structures that make them easier to remember once you know the pattern.

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Wist je dat?

The Dutch word for hippopotamus is nijlpaard, which literally means "Nile horse"! Similarly, a rhinoceros is a neushoorn — "nose horn". These compound words reveal exactly how Dutch speakers saw these exotic animals for the first time.

🐾 Pets: Huisdieren

EmojiDutchEnglish
🐕de honddog
🐈de katcat
🐇het konijnrabbit
🐹de hamsterhamster
🐠de visfish
🐦de vogelbird
🦜de papegaaiparrot
🐢de schildpadturtle / tortoise

🐄 Farm Animals: Boerderijdieren

EmojiDutchEnglishSound
🐄de koecowmoo!
🐖het varkenpigoink!
🐑het schaapsheepbaa!
🐐de geitgoatmeh!
🐴het paardhorseneigh!
🐓de kipchicken / hencluck!
🦆de eendduckquack!

🦁 Wild Animals: Wilde Dieren

EmojiDutchEnglish
🦁de leeuwlion
🐘de olifantelephant
🦒de girafgiraffe
🦛het nijlpaardhippopotamus
🦏de neushoornrhinoceros
🐻de beerbear
🦊de vosfox
🐺de wolfwolf
🐒de aapmonkey / ape
🐯de tijgertiger
🐆de luipaardleopard
🦓de zebrazebra

🌊 Sea & Water Animals

EmojiDutchEnglish
🐋de walviswhale
🦈de haaishark
🐬de dolfijndolphin
🦭de zeehondseal
🦀de krabcrab
🪼de kwaljellyfish
🐊de krokodilcrocodile
In Nederland zien we vaak konijnen en vossen in de natuur.In the Netherlands we often see rabbits and foxes in nature.

✏️ Practice

  • I have a dog and a cat → Ik heb een hond en een kat
  • The elephant is big → De olifant is groot

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