[2][1] It was closely related to Bohlinia and was once thought to be ancestral to the modern giraffe (genus Giraffa).

The living animal would have resembled a modern giraffe, but was somewhat shorter, with more massive ossicones.

The first part of the generic name, honano refers to the Henan (Chinese: 河南; pinyin: Hénán) province of China, where the first specimens were recovered.

The second part, therium, comes from the Greek, θηρίον which means "beast."

Like the modern-day giraffe, Honanotherium may have grazed on low-lying trees in the savannah environment, although its shorter neck shows that it probably fed on different plants than the extant giraffe.