<p>So these terms for Guinea Pig all seem to be fairly common and in use, at least as far as I know, but the question(s) are:</p>

<p>where do the different terms come from? </p>

<p>is there any actual difference between the terms?</p>

<p>are the terms regional or not?!</p>

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2014-05-15T16:36:54.397Z
Apparently 豚鼠 comes from its appearance. It is also the scientific term.
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T16:37:37.913Z
Regarding 荷兰猪, my speculation is that it was brought to China by Dutch merchants/colonists, and Chinese at that time didn't realise that it was rodent and thought it was a pig. They might think that the pigs in the Netherlands are different, because they are so small, hence giving the name 荷兰猪.
user58955
<phrase>
荷兰猪、天竺鼠、豚鼠 ——What's the deal?
# 荷兰猪、天竺鼠、豚鼠 ——What's the deal?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-05-15)

So these terms for Guinea Pig all seem to be fairly common and in use, at least as far as I know, but the question(s) are:

where do the different terms come from?

is there any actual difference between the terms?

are the terms regional or not?!

**Tags:** phrase

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Apparently 豚鼠 comes from its appearance. It is also the scientific term.  
> **username_1**: Regarding 荷兰猪, my speculation is that it was brought to China by Dutch merchants/colonists, and Chinese at that time didn't realise that it was rodent and thought it was a pig. They might think that the pigs in the Netherlands are different, because they are so small, hence giving the name 荷兰猪.  

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