Readings: ビョウ (Onyomi), ねこ (Kunyomi)
Meaning: cat
The left side 豸 (ケモノ, beast) indicates an animal. The right side 苗 (ミョウ, seedlings; young shoots) is used for its sound (妙, ビョウ, mysterious, clever). Thus, “a clever animal.”
View JLPT N3 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 猫 consists of 11 strokes. It begins with the radical 豸 on the left, followed by the component 苗 on the right. Pay attention to the order of strokes within each component, especially the three short strokes at the top of 苗 and the order of the horizontal and vertical strokes.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 豸 (けものへん) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 11 |
| JLPT Level | N3 |
| Grade | 常用外 (Jōyōgai) |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- ビョウ (Byou)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- ねこ (neko)
Common Words Using 猫
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 愛猫 | あいびょう | beloved cat |
| 猫科 | びょうか | feline family; Felidae |
| 病猫 | びょうびょう | sick cat (more formal/technical) |
| 猫眼 | びょうがん | cat’s eye (referring to a gemstone’s optical effect) |
| 猫伝 | びょうでん | feline infection (short for feline infectious diseases) |
| 猫熱 | びょうねつ | feline fever (medical) |
| 猫体 | びょうたい | feline body (anatomical/scientific) |
| 猫属 | びょうぞく | genus Felis (biological classification) |
| 猫症 | びょうしょう | feline disease/condition |
| 猫病学 | びょうびょうがく | felinology (study of cats and their diseases) |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 猫 | ねこ | cat |
| 子猫 | こねこ | kitten |
| 招き猫 | まねきねこ | lucky cat; beckoning cat |
| 野良猫 | のらねこ | stray cat |
| 黒猫 | くろねこ | black cat |
| 猫舌 | ねこじた | sensitive to hot food/drinks (lit. cat’s tongue) |
| 猫背 | ねこぜ | stoop; hunchback (lit. cat’s back) |
| 猫なで声 | ねこなでごえ | coaxing voice; wheedling voice |
| 猫の手も借りたい | ねこのてもかりたい | so busy you’d even want to borrow a cat’s paw (idiom: extremely busy) |
| 猫耳 | ねこみみ | cat ears (often referring to accessories or features in anime/manga) |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 私は猫を飼っています。
Kana: わたしはねこをかっています。
Romaji: Watashi wa neko o katteimasu.
English: I have a cat.
Japanese: 子猫がとてもかわいいです。
Kana: こねこがとてもかわいいです。
Romaji: Koneko ga totemo kawaii desu.
English: The kitten is very cute.
Japanese: 招き猫は幸運を招くと信じられています。
Kana: まねきねこはこううんをまねくとしんじられています。
Romaji: Maneki-neko wa kōun o maneku to shinjirareteimasu.
English: Maneki-neko (lucky cats) are believed to bring good fortune.
Japanese: 彼は猫舌なので熱いものが苦手です。
Kana: かれはねこじたなのであついものがにがてです。
Romaji: Kare wa nekojita nanode atsui mono ga nigate desu.
English: He’s sensitive to hot food, so he doesn’t like hot things.
Japanese: 彼の背中は少し猫背です。
Kana: かれのせなかはすこしねこぜです。
Romaji: Kare no senaka wa sukoshi nekoze desu.
English: His back is a little hunched.
Japanese: 道で野良猫を見かけました。
Kana: みちでのらねこをみかけました。
Romaji: Michi de noraneko o mikakemashita.
English: I saw a stray cat on the street.
Japanese: 彼女は猫なで声で私に頼みました。
Kana: かのじょはねこなでごえでわたしにたのみました。
Romaji: Kanojo wa nekonadegoe de watashi ni tanomimashita.
English: She asked me in a coaxing voice.
Japanese: 猫は夜行性の動物です。
Kana: ねこはやこうせいのどうぶつです。
Romaji: Neko wa yakōsei no dōbutsu desu.
English: Cats are nocturnal animals.
Japanese: 一般的に、猫は水が嫌いです。
Kana: いっぱんてきに、ねこはみずがきらいです。
Romaji: Ippanteki ni, neko wa mizu ga kirai desu.
English: Generally, cats dislike water.
Japanese: その黒猫はとても穏やかです。
Kana: そのくろねこはとてもおだやかです。
Romaji: Sono kuroneko wa totemo odayaka desu.
English: That black cat is very gentle.
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