How to Say "Cat" in Chinese - How To Say Guide

貓 / 猫

māo

The English phrase cat is translated into Chinese as 貓 / 猫 (māo). If unsure, use 貓 / 猫. Wiktionary also lists 貓兒 / 猫儿 (māor).

Meaning: domestic species (noun)

Ways to say it

The word refers to the domestic species.

In Hokkien, 貓 / 猫 is the standard noun for a cat, whereas 貓咪 / 猫咪 is used for a more endearing or cute connotation.

The forms мо, мор, мимо and мимор are used in Dungan, while the forms 貓 / 猫, 貓仔 / 猫仔 and 貓咪 / 猫咪 are used in Hokkien.

In Hokkien, adding the suffix '仔' (á) to the word for cat creates the word for kitten, resulting in 貓仔 / 猫仔.

The pronunciation for 貓 / 猫 is māo.

Dungan, one of the forms mentioned, is a unique language where Chinese vocabulary is spoken using a Cyrillic alphabet, which explains why мо appears in a non-Chinese script.
In some traditional Chinese folk beliefs, certain cats are thought to be able to detect ghosts or spirits, a belief that influences how people treat them in the household.
The character for cat 貓 contains the radical 豸, which refers to a 'long-bodied animal' or 'insect-like creature'. This radical is also used in words for other feline-like or crawling animals.

Sources

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