ペットを飼っている
petto o katte iru
To say "I have a pet" in Japanese, you use ペットを飼っている (petto o katte iru).
This phrase is used to state that you keep and care for a domestic animal. The word ペット (petto) is a loanword from English and is the most common way to refer to a domestic animal in a conversational context.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb part of the phrase, 飼っている (katte iru), literally means "is keeping" or "is raising" an animal, rather than "possessing" it like an object.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase can be adjusted for politeness. The polite version is ペットを飼っています, while the casual or informal version is ペットを飼っている. Additionally, saying うちにはペットがいる translates to "There is a pet at my place."
How do you pronounce it?
petto o katte iru
When do people say it?
When using the polite form ペットを飼っています, you can add よ to the end to create 私はペットを飼っていますよ, which adds a slightly softer tone.
Did you know?
- Using the phrase ペットを飼っている can be socially risky in Japan because many apartments have strict 'no pet' rules, making the statement a confession of a potential lease violation.
- The word ペット (petto) is a katakana loanword, and while it is widely understood, using the native Japanese term 愛玩動物 (aigan doubutsu) would make you sound like a scientist or a legal textbook.
- The word 飼う (kau) is phonetically identical to the word for 'buy' 買う (kau), though they are written with different kanji characters.
Examples in context
- 猫を飼っています。I have a cat.
- 魚を飼っています。I have fish.
- 鳥を飼っています。I have a bird.
- 家でペットを飼っている。Ie de petto o katte iru.I have a pet at home.
- 実は、小さなペットを飼っているんです。Jitsu wa, chiisana petto o katte iru n desu.Actually, I have a small pet.
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki are talking about their hobbies at school.
- 陽太 Yota美咲さんはペットを飼っている？Misaki-san wa petto o katte iru?Do you have a pet, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、白い猫を飼っているよ。Un, shiroi neko o katte iru yo.Yes, I have a white cat.
- 陽太 Yotaいいなあ。僕はペットを飼っているけど、犬なんだ。Ii naa. Boku wa petto o katte iru kedo, inu nanda.That's nice. I have a pet too, but it's a dog.
- 美咲 Misaki犬も可愛いよね！Inu mo kawaii yo ne!Dogs are cute too!
