猫

See also: 貓

Translingual

Stroke order

Japanese	猫
Simplified	猫
Traditional	貓

Han character

猫 (Kangxi radical 94, 犬+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 大竹廿田 (KHTW), four-corner 4426₀, composition ⿰犭苗)

Derived characters

• 𢵝, 𫫯

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 714, character 27
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 20535
• Dae Jaweon: page 1127, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1352, character 1
• Unihan data for U+732B

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Chinese

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (苗) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
貓	*mreːw, *mrew
描	*mreːw, *mrew
媌	*mreːw, *mreːwʔ
緢	*mreːwʔ, *mreːws, *mrew
苗	*mrew
猫	*mrew
庿	*mrews

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *mrew) : semantic 犬 + phonetic 苗 (OC *mrew).

Definitions

For pronunciation and definitions of 猫 – see 貓 (“cat; to hide oneself; etc.”). (This character is the simplified and variant form of 貓).

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

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Japanese

Kanji

猫

(Jōyō kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: みょう (myō)^{←めう (meu, historical)}
• Kan-on: びょう (byō, Jōyō)^{←べう (beu, historical)}; ぼう (bō)^{←ばう (bau, historical)}
• Kun: ねこ (neko, 猫, Jōyō)

Compounds

Compounds

• 愛(あい)猫(びょう) (aibyō): beloved cat; love for cats
• 怪(かい)猫(びょう) (kaibyō): a monster cat
• 成(せい)猫(びょう) (seibyō): fully-grown cat
• 斑(はん)猫(みょう) (hanmyō): tiger beetle
• 猫(びょう)額(がく) (byōgaku): cat's forehead, smallness as that of a cat's forehead
• 猫(びょう)睛(せい)石(せき) (byōseiseki): cat's-eye
• 霊(れい)猫(びょう) (reibyō): civet

Etymology 1

File:猫 sign.jpg

猫 (neko): cat.

Kanji in this term
猫
ねこ Grade: S
kun'yomi

*⟨ni₁a-ko₁ma⟩ → ⟨ne₁ko₁ma⟩ → /nekoma/ → /neko/

From Old Japanese. Shortened from earlier nekoma (see below).

Noun

猫(ねこ) or 猫(ネコ) • (neko)  (counter 匹)

1. a cat

   猫(ねこ)が二(に)匹(ひき)居(い)る。

   Neko ga nihiki iru.

   There are two cats.

   家(いえ)には猫(ねこ)が三匹(さんびき)います。

   Ie ni wa neko ga sanbiki imasu.

   There are three cats in the house.

   • 938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 7, page 56:

     猫: 野王案、猫、音苗、禰古麻、下總本有和名二字興河海抄引此合、本草和名同訓、或省云禰古、新撰字鏡、狸、禰古、按狸一名猫、見本草和名、似虎而小、熊捕鼠為糧

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 子(こ)猫(ねこ) (koneko), 仔猫(こねこ) (koneko): a kitten
• 黒(くろ)猫(ねこ) (kuroneko): a black cat
• 麝(じゃ)香(こう)猫(ねこ) (jakō neko): civet
• シュレーディンガーの猫(ねこ) (Shurēdingā no neko): Schrödinger's cat
• 猫(ねこ)手(て) (nekote)
• 猫(ねこ)間(ま) (nekoma)
• 猫(ねこ)又(また) (nekomata)
• 猫(ねこ)耳(みみ) (nekomimi): nekomimi
• 唐(から)猫(ねこ) (karaneko)
• 化(ば)け猫(ねこ) (bakeneko): a monster cat
• 招(まね)き猫(ねこ) (manekineko)
• 虎(とら)猫(ねこ) (toraneko)
• どら猫(ねこ) (doraneko)
• 山(やま)猫(ねこ) (yamaneko)
• 猫(ねこ)可愛(かわい)がり (nekokawaigari)
• 三(み)毛(け)猫(ねこ) (mikeneko): a calico cat

Idioms

Idioms

• 猫(ねこ)も杓(しゃく)子(し)も (neko mo shakushi mo)
• 猫(ねこ)の手(て)も借(か)りたい (neko no te mo karitai)
• 猫舌(ねこじた) (nekojita): "cat tongue", someone who is incapable of drinking or eating anything hot due to having an overly sensitive tongue
• 猫(ねこ)に鰹(かつお)節(ぶし) (neko ni katsuobushi)
• 猫(ねこ)に小(こ)判(はん) (neko ni kohan): pearls before swine
• 猫(ねこ)の額(ひたい) (neko no hitai)
• 借(か)りてきた猫(ねこ) (karite kita neko)
• 猫(ねこ)を被(かぶ)る (neko o kaburu): feign innocence

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
猫
ねこま Grade: S
kun'yomi

*⟨ni₁a-ko₁ma⟩ → ⟨ne₁ko₁ma⟩ → /nekoma/

From Old Japanese. Originally a compound of にゃ (nya, “onomatopoeia for the sound a cat makes (compare English mew, meow)”) +‎ こま (koma, “four-legged animal”).

Obsolete; replaced by shorter form neko in modern Japanese.

Noun

猫(ねこま) • (nekoma) 

1. (obsolete) a cat
   • 938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 7, page 56:

     猫: 野王案、猫、音苗、禰古麻、下總本有和名二字興河海抄引此合、本草和名同訓、或省云禰古、新撰字鏡、狸、禰古、按狸一名猫、見本草和名、似虎而小、熊捕鼠為糧

References

• Minamoto, Shitagō with Kyōto Daigaku Bungakubu Kokugogaku Kokubungaku Kenkyūshitu (931–938) Shohon Shūsei Wamyō Ruijushō: Honbunhen (in Japanese), Kyōto: Rinsen, published 1968, →ISBN.

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Korean

Hanja

猫 (eumhun 고양이 묘 (goyang'i myo))

1. hanja form^? of 묘 (“cat”)

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Okinawan

Kanji

猫

(Jōyō kanji)

Readings

• On (unclassified): まやー (mayā, 猫)

Compounds

Compounds

• 赤猫 (あかまやー, akamayā, “red tabby cat”)
• 黒猫 (くるまやー, kurumayā, “black cat”)
• 白猫 (しるまやー, shirumayā, “white cat”)
• 猫子, 猫小 (まやーぐゎー, mayāgwā, “cat; kitten”)
• まんちゃーまやー (manchāmayā, “tricolour cat”)
• 山猫 (やままやー, yamamayā, “mountain cat”)

Noun

猫(まやー) (mayā) 

1. cat

References

• “まやー・まやあ【猫】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “マヤー” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).

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Yaeyama

Kanji

猫 (hiragana まやー, romaji mayā)

Noun

猫 (hiragana まやー, romaji mayā)

1. cat

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Yoron

Kanji

猫 (hiragana みゃんか, romaji myanka)

Noun

猫 (hiragana みゃんか, romaji myanka)

1. cat