[Day 65] 猫 - Cat

Days 61-70

R-report

[Day 65] 猫 - Cat

Etymology & core meaning: 猫 combines the 犭 (dog/animal) radical on the left with 苗 (a phonetic element) on the right; together they mark an animal and historically indicate the sound/word for 'cat'. The core meaning is the domestic or wild animal 'cat' (neko). This kanji and word are very common in everyday Japanese — used in conversation, shop names (e.g., 猫カフェ), and compound words referring to types of cats or related places. Readings: On'yomi: none commonly used in everyday compounds for this kanji (rare) Kun'yomi: ねこ (neko) — the standard native Japanese reading; used for the standalone word and most compounds.

Readings

On'yomi: — Kun'yomi: **ねこ** (neko)

Related words

• 猫 (ねこ / neko) — cat - 私は**猫**が好きです。 (Watashi wa neko ga suki desu. — I like cats.)

• 子猫 (こねこ / koneko) — kitten - あの店に**子猫**がいます。 (Ano mise ni koneko ga imasu. — There is a kitten in that shop.)

• 野良猫 (のらねこ / noraneko) — stray cat - 昨日、道で**野良猫**を見かけました。 (Kinou, michi de noraneko o mikakemashita. — Yesterday I saw a stray cat on the street.)

• 飼い猫 (かいねこ / kaineko) — pet cat - その**飼い猫**は毎日窓辺で寝ます。 (Sono kaineko wa mainichi madobe de nemasu. — That pet cat sleeps by the window every day.)

• 猫カフェ (ねこカフェ / neko kafe) — cat cafe - 週末、友達と**猫カフェ**に行きました。 (Shuumatsu, tomodachi to neko kafe ni ikimashita. — I went to a cat cafe with friends on the weekend.)