The Rat (鼠) is the first of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals. According to legend, the rat won the race to the Jade Emperor by riding on the ox's back and jumping ahead at the finish. Rat years: 2020, 2008, 1996, 1984...
usage
In everyday speech, people say 老鼠 (lǎoshǔ) for mouse/rat. 鼠 alone is more literary/formal and commonly appears in compounds and the zodiac.
usage
老鼠 (lǎoshǔ) = mouse/rat (colloquial). 松鼠 (sōngshǔ) = squirrel. 仓鼠 (cāngshǔ) = hamster. 鼠年 (shǔ nián) = Year of the Rat.
