“Cat” in Japanese – Your Guide to Naming Your Feline Friends

This article will guide you on how to say “cat” in Japanese and other cat-related phrases.

When we speak Japanese in our daily conversations, we use many phrases involving the word “cat,” so you may discover new expressions even if you’re not, particularly an animal lover.

Do you know how to read in Japanese? If not, this article has romaji versions of the vocabulary to help you out. However, we encourage you to learn the Japanese alphabet so you can read the words in hiragana and katakana, too.

Let’s get started!

How to Say “Cat” in Japanese

You can say “cat” in Japanese in two distinct ways: the standard or basic term and the more advanced words. Let’s learn each of them below!

Basic Word for “Cat” in Japanese

The most commonly used word for “cat” in Japanese is ねこ or ネコ (neko | 猫).

You can find the Japanese word “neko” as ねこ in ひらがな (hiragana), ネコ in カタカナ (katakana), and 猫 in かんじ (kanji) form, so memorizing all of them at once is essential.

Advanced Words for “Cat” in Japanese

Here are some more advanced Japanese words for “cat”:

• こねこ (ko neko | 子猫) — kitten, child cat
• おやねこ (oya neko | 親猫) — parent cat
• かいねこ (kai neko | 飼い猫) — pet cat, house cat
• のらねこ (nora neko | 野良猫) — a stray cat
• やまねこ (yama neko | 山猫) — wild cat
• めすねこ (mesu neko | 雌猫) — female cat
• おすねこ (osu neko | 雄猫) — male cat

Example Sentences

りょうしんはねこをかっています (ryoushin wa neko wo katteimasu | 両親は猫を飼っています)

My parents have a cat.

こねこをひろった (ko neko o hirotta | 子猫を拾った)

I picked up a kitten.

すてねこのさとおやをさがしています (sute neko no satooya o sagashite imasu | 捨て猫の里親を探しています)

I’m looking for a foster applicant for abandoned cats.

“Cat” in Japanese Kanji

The Kanji character 猫 (cat) consists of a radical いぬ (inu | 犬 | gog) and びょう (byou | 苗 | seedling), and it’s thought to be an onomatopoeia word after the sound of a cat’s meowing.

Kanji Readings for Cat

Here are the lists of the Kanji readings for 猫 (cat):

• ねこ (neko)
• びょう (byou)
• みょう (myou)

Japanese Counter Used to Count Cats

Japanese and English don’t have the same concept of counting cats in general.

The animal counter for cats is ひき (hiki | 匹) in Japanese, and it conjugates ひき (hiki), ぴき (piki), and びき (biki) depending on the combination of sounds before and after.

Example Sentences

いっぴきのねこがみちにとびだしてきた (ippiki no neko ga michi ni tobidashite kita | 一匹の猫が道に飛び出してきた)

A cat ran out into the street.

にほんでは、「さんびきのこねこ」というえほんがゆうめいです (nihon de wa, san-biki no ko neko to iu ehon ga yuumei desu | 日本では、「3びきのこねこ」という絵本が有名です)

A picture book called “Three Kittens” is famous in Japan.

こねこがよんひきうまれた (ko neko ga yon-hiki umareta | 子猫が4匹生まれた)

Four kittens were born.

Japanese Word for Cat’s Meow

In Japanese, the typical variations of a cat’s meow sounds are below, and we often repeat the sounds to express the meow sounds.

• にゃー (nyaa)
• にゃん (nyan)
• みゃー (myaa)
• みゃお (myao)

Example Sentences

くろねこがみゃーみゃーとないている (kuro neko ga myamya to naiteiru | 黒猫がみゃーみゃーと鳴いている)

A black cat is meowing.

にほんごでは、いぬはワンワン、ねこはニャーニャーが、ていばんのなきごえです (nihongo de wa, inu wa wanwan, neko wa nyaanyaa, kitsune wa konkon ga, teiban desu | 日本語では、犬はワンワン、猫はニャーニャーが、定番の鳴き声です)

In Japanese, wan-wan for dogs, nya-nya for cats are standard sounds.

Kinds of Cat in Japan

In Japan, we long considered cats the symbol of fertility, wealth, and prosperity. Over time, cats have become beneficial animals against rat damage and lovable pets.

Japanese Wild Cats

There are only two species native to Japan now.

• イリオモテヤマネコ (iriomote yama neko | 西表山猫) — Iriomote cat
• ツシマヤマネコ (tsushima yama neko | 対馬山猫) — Tsushima cat

Pet Cat in Japanese

Many Japanese people call cats にほんねこ (nihon neko | 日本猫) or わねこ (wa neko | 和猫) to distinguish them from cats of foreign origin called ようねこ (you neko | 洋猫).

When we give detailed definitions of cats, we base them on their fur color and patterns.

• みけねこ (mike neko | 三毛猫) — a calico cat, “triple fur cat”
• さびねこ (sabi neko | 錆び猫) — tortoiseshell cat, “rust cat”
• ぶちねこ (buchi neko | 斑猫) — bicolor cat, tuxedo cat
• しまねこ (shima neko | 縞猫) — tabby cat

Example Sentences

うちには、くろねことしろねこがいっぴきずついます (uchi ni wa, kuro neko to shiro neko ga ippiki zutsu imasu | うちには、黒猫と白猫が一匹ずついます)

We have a black cat and a white cat.

しろ・ちゃ・こげちゃのみけねこは、きじみけともよばれる (shiro, cha, koge-cha no mike-neko wa, kiji-mike to mo yobareru | 白・茶・こげ茶の三毛猫は、キジ三毛とも呼ばれる)

White, brown, and dark brown colored cats are sometimes called pheasant tortoiseshells.

Japanese Cat Characters

How many cat characters do you recognize? Let’s check it out!

• どらえもん (Doraemon) — a cat-shaped robot from Doraemon
• ねこばす (Neko Basu | 猫バス) — a cat bus from My Neighbor Totoro
• ルナ (Runa) — a black cat from Sailor Moon
• ひこにゃん (Hiko Nyan) — a mascot cat of the Hikone City, Shiga prefecture
• ハローキティ (Haro Kithi) — Hello Kitty; a Sanrio character
• わがはい (Wagahai | 吾輩) — a narrator cat from I am a CAT by Soseki Natsume
• ジジ (Jiji) — Kiki’s companion from Kiki’s Delivery Service

Different Japanese Words Related to Cats

In the Japanese language, there are many terms related to cats. Some are connected to pet owners, cat lovers, animals, plants, and more. Learning these words is enjoyable and can improve your understanding of Japanese culture.

Let’s check them out below!

Cat Owners and Cat Lovers

Here are some of the useful Japanese words that many cat owners or who love cats used:

• かいねこ (kai neko | 飼い猫) — pet cat
• いえねこ (ie neko | 家猫) — house cat
• あいびょう (aibyou | 愛猫) — one’s beloved cat
• ねこすな (neko suna | 猫砂) — cat sand
• キャットフード (kyatto fuudo) — cat food
• ねこかん (neko kan | 猫缶) — canned cat food
• ねこをすくったねこ (neko o sukutta neko | 猫を救った猫) — rescued cat

Example Sentences

ねこすなとねこかんをよういする (neko suna to neko kan wo youi suru | 猫砂と猫缶を用意する)

I prepare cat litter and cat cans.

うきよえしのひとりであるうたがわくによしは、あいびょうかとしてゆうめいです (ukiyoe-shi no hitori de aru Utagawa Kuniyoshi wa, aibyou ka tosite yuumei desu | 浮世絵師の一人である歌川国芳は、愛猫家として有名です)

Kuniyoshi Utagawa, one of the Ukiyo-e artists, is known as a cat lover.

ねこずきのおおくが、ねこのにくきゅうやこうばこすわりをすきだという (nekozuki no ooku ga, neko no nikukyuu ya koubako zuwari wo suki dato iu | 猫好きの多くが、猫の肉球や香箱座りを好きだという)

Many cat lovers say they like the cat’s paws and cat loaf.

Animals

Here are some Japanese cat-related words for animals:

• パンダ (panda | 熊猫) — giant panda
• ウミネコ (umi neko | 海猫) — black-tailed gull
• ネコザメ (neko zame | 猫鮫) — Japanese bullhead shark

Plants

Here are some Japanese cat-related words for plants:

• ねこくさ (neko kusa | 猫草) — cat grass
• ねこじゃらし (neko jarashi | 猫じゃらし) — green foxtail
• ネコノシタ (neko no shita | 猫の舌) — beach wedelia

Others

The examples below are other Japanese cat-related words:

• ねこあし (neko ashi | 猫足) — cabriole leg
• ねこめいし (neko me ishi | 猫目石) — Chrysoberyl

Japanese Phrases and Idioms Related to Cats

Check out some of the Japanese phrases and idioms below connected to cats:

• ねこじた (neko jita | 猫舌) — someone who can’t eat or drink anything hot
• ねこぜ (neko ze | 猫背) — slouching
• ねこっけ (nekokke | 猫っ毛) — fine and soft hair
• ねこばば (neko baba | 猫糞) — doing something malicious secretly to pocket
• どろぼうねこ (dorobou neko | 泥棒猫) — homewrecker
• ねこかわいがり (neko kawaigari | 猫可愛がり) — to dote on somebody
• ねこをかぶる (neko wo kaburu | 猫をかぶる) — to put on a facade
• ねこにこばん (neko ni koban | 猫に小判) — pearls before swine
• ねこのてもかりたい (neko no te mo karitai | 猫の手も借りたい) — as busy as a bee
• かりてきたねこ (karite kita neko | 借りてきた猫) — meek as a kitten
• ねこもしゃくしも (neko mo shakushi mo | 猫も杓子も) — Tom, Dick, and Harry
• ねこなでごえ (neko nade goe | 猫撫で声) — coaxing voice

Japanese Culture, Folklore, and Popular Spots Related to Cats

Perhaps some Japanese learners have already seen the Japanese lucky cat statuette in some shops or might have heard of a cat spot in Japan.

Here in Japan, we have some unique features as well as unusual words connected to cats.

Let’s take a quick look here:

• まねきねこ (maneki neko | 招き猫) — beckoning cat; a type of lucky charm believed to bring good luck to business
• ばけねこ (bake neko | 化け猫) — monster cats
• ねこまた (neko mata | 猫又) — two-tailed monster cat; a type of Japanese supernatural cat
• ねこやしき (neko yashiki | 猫屋敷) — cat mansion; a house full of cats
• ねこかふぇ (neko kafe | 猫カフェ) — cat cafes; type of coffee shop where you play with cats
• ねこじま (neko jima | 猫島) — cat island; islands famous for having many cats
• ねこでら (neko dera | 猫寺) — cat temple; temples with a deep connection to cats

Learn Japanese Through Cats

Japanese speakers regularly use words like ねこじた (neko jita | 猫舌), which literally translates as “cat tongue,” and there are no other ways to say “cat” in the Japanese language.

So, expanding your vocabulary and learning the cultural significance of cats shouldn’t be too complicated.

がんばってください (ganbatte kudasai)! ^^