Onyomi: ビョウ · Kunyomi: ねこ · Meanings: cat
Kanji for cat
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The kanji 猫 combines the radical 犭(animal) with the character 苗 (sprout or seedling). The left side, 犭, marks it as an animal, while 苗 serves as the phonetic part but also adds a poetic image: a creature that moves softly among plants. In ancient times, cats were seen as protectors of crops, chasing away rodents that threatened seedlings. Thus, the character carries both sound and meaning — a gentle animal connected to fields and life around humans.
Formed from the animal radical 犭and 苗 (sprout), 猫 represents a cat — the graceful animal that lived near fields to guard them from pests.
This kanji declares: the animal (犭) that walks softly among sprouts (苗) is the cat — 猫, the quiet guardian of the fields.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 猫 | ねこ | cat (esp. the domestic cat, Felis catus) | common JLPT-N5 Noun |
| 猫 | ねこま | cat | Noun |
| 猫背 | ねこぜ | bent back, hunchback, stoop | common Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', Na-adjective (keiyodoshi) |
| 猫舌 | ねこじた | dislike of very hot food or drink, inability to take hot food, cat tongue | common Noun |
| 猫の手も借りたい | ねこのてもかりたい | extremely busy, short-handed, wanting even the help of a cat | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 猫の額 | ねこのひたい | tiny area, tiny surface, cat's forehead | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Noun |
| 猫嫌い | ねこぎらい | cat hater, dislike of cats | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Noun |
| 猫ばば | ねこばば | embezzlement, misappropriation, pocketing, stealing | Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb |
| 猫なで声 | ねこなでごえ | soft, coaxing voice, wheedling voice, ingratiating voice | Noun |
| 猫かぶり | ねこかぶり | feigned innocence, feigned gentleness, fake modesty, put-on, wolf in sheep's clothing | Noun |