貓 / 猫
maau¹
The English word cat is translated into Cantonese as 貓 / 猫 (maau¹).
The term refers to the domestic species of cat.
Meaning: domestic species (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting cats, you must use the classifier 隻 (zek3) before the noun, resulting in the phrase 隻貓 for one cat.
How do you pronounce it?
maau¹
Did you know?
- Cantonese speakers often use the term 貓奴 which literally translates to 'cat slave' to describe a devoted cat owner.
- The word 貓 can be combined with 頭 to form 貓頭鷹, which means 'owl' because the bird is seen as having a 'cat head'.
- While 貓 refers to a domestic cat, the word 虎 means 'tiger', but both animals share the same classifier 隻 when being counted.
Examples in context
- 今日喺街上見到一隻好可愛嘅貓。Today, I saw a very cute cat on the street.
- 問問琪琪，佢鍾唔鍾意養喵咪呀？Ask Kiki if she likes keeping cats as pets.
- 我屋企養緊隻好可愛嘅貓。I am raising a very cute cat at home.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cat” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
