One of the best ways to learn a language is to focus on the vocabulary you’ll most likely encounter. Learning how to talk about transportation and food ensures you’ll have the words you’ll need when visiting a new country, for example. But sometimes, this can get a little tiresome. You might want to infuse your learning with a little bit of fun once in a while, and what’s more fun than the animal kingdom? Learning the words for animals in Italian is a good time, whether you’re planning to visit an Italian zoo or not.
The creatures of the world are many, so we tried to cover as much basic ground with this list of animals in Italian. And if you’re curious to hear the sounds that Italian animals make, scroll down to the bottom.
General Animal Vocab
the pet — l’animale domestico
the wild animal — l’animale selvaggio
the farm animal — l’animale da fattoria
the sea creature — la creatura marina
the fur — il pelo
to feed — nutrire
the vet — il veterinario (masc.), la veterinaria (fem.)
Names Of Animals In Italian
the dog — il cane
the cat — il gatto
the fish — il pesce
the mouse — il topo
the hamster — il criceto
the rabbit — il coniglio
the rat — il ratto
the guinea pig — il porcellino d’India
the chicken — la gallina
the duck — l’anatra
the cow — la vacca
the pig — il maiale
the horse — il cavallo
the bird — l’uccello
the penguin — il pinguino
the dolphin — il delfino
the octopus — il polpo
the blue whale — la balenottera azzurra
the shark — lo squalo
the bear — l’orso
the wolf — il lupo
the snake — il serpente
the frog — la rana
the squirrel — lo scoiattolo
the giraffe — la giraffa
the deer — il capriolo
the bug — la bestiolina
the mosquito — la zanzara
the spider — il ragno
the bee — l’ape
the butterfly — la farfalla
Animal Sounds In Italian
woof — bau
meow — miao
cock-a-doodle-doo — chicchirichì
quack-quack — qua qua
moo — muu
ee-aw (donkey noise) — ioo
ribbit — cra-cra
cuckoo — cucù