猩猩 (xīngxing): orangutan

Measure Word

一只猩猩 zhī

A reduplicated character: 猩猩. The animal radical 犭 signals it's an animal; the right side 星 (star) gives the pronunciation.

HSK 2

动物园里有一只大猩猩。

Dòngwùyuán lǐ yǒu yī zhī dàxīngxing.

There's a gorilla in the zoo.

HSK 5

猩猩是非常聪明的动物。

Xīngxing shì fēicháng cōngming de dòngwù.

Orangutans are very intelligent animals.

HSK 7-9

猩猩的栖息地正在减少。

Xīngxing de qīxīdì zhèngzài jiǎnshǎo.

The habitat of orangutans is shrinking.

mistakes

猩猩 alone means orangutan. 大猩猩 (big ape) = gorilla, 黑猩猩 (black ape) = chimpanzee. Don't mix them up - adding 大 or 黑 changes the species entirely.

猩 xīng