Portuguese words for kids · Animals
How to say “dog” in Portuguese
Dogs are everywhere: in the park, in books, next door. And they "bark" differently depending on the language, which kids find hilarious.
Dog in Portuguese (Portugal)
o cão
Sounds like ≈ oo KOWNG
Good to know: Cão is the word in Portugal. Cachorro is the everyday Brazilian word; in Portugal it usually means a puppy. Portuguese dogs say ão ão.
Hear it in a song
Real lines from our Portuguese songs, with the English meaning shown in the app:
O cão diz…
Dog says…
from O Gato e o Cão (The Cat and the Dog)
C de cão!
C is for dog!
from A de Avião (A Is for…)
Gostas de cães?
Do you like dogs?
from Eu Gosto! (I Like It!)
2 songs that teach it
“Dog” is one of the key words in these songs. Every line is shown in Portuguese with its English meaning.
Also sung in: Eu Gosto!, O Que Há na Caixa?.
Practice ideas for parents
- 1Say cão every time you see a dog on a walk, and count them.
- 2Learn how a dog barks in Portuguese from the song and bark along together.
- 3Play "fetch": your child is the dog, you call cão to come back.
Related Portuguese words
“Dog” in other languages
Sing it in Portuguese, free
The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.
About the pronunciation: the “sounds like” spellings are rough English approximations for parents (capital letters show the stressed syllable). Portuguesehas sounds English doesn't, so treat them as a starting point and let the songs be the model. Songs are original and produced with AI music tools. Ideas for using Portuguese songs with your family.