小猫
The English phrase "little cat" is 小猫 in Chinese.
小猫 is the standard term for little cat.
What does it mean word for word?
小猫 is composed of 小, meaning 'small' or 'little' and 猫, meaning 'cat'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The prefix 小 is used here to create a diminutive, expressing affection or indicating smallness.
Did you know?
- Chinese has a specific term 猫腻 derived from the word for cat that means 'something fishy' or a hidden trick, though it has nothing to do with actual animals.
- When talking to or about a 'little cat' in an extremely affectionate way, people often double the character to say 猫猫, which functions like a 'baby talk' version of the word.
- In Chinese, you can add the character 儿 to the end of 小猫 to make it 小猫儿, a way of speaking that sounds particularly cute or rhythmic in northern dialects like Beijing's.
Examples in context
- 这幼猫眼睛真大。This baby cat has such big eyes.
- 你家的小猫咪真可爱！Your kitty is so adorable!
- 小咪咪在阳光下打盹儿。Little kitty is napping in the sunlight.
- 那只小猫很可爱。Nà zhī xiǎomāo hěn kě'ài.That little cat is very cute.
- 我想要养一只小猫。Wǒ xiǎng yào yǎng yī zhī xiǎomāo.I want to raise a little cat.
- 这只小猫在睡觉。Zhè zhī xiǎomāo zài shuìjiào.This little cat is sleeping.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a photo on a phone.
- 俊杰 Junjie看，这只小猫真漂亮！Kàn, zhè zhī xiǎomāo zhēn piàoliang!Look, this little cat is really beautiful!
- 雨婷 Yuting是的，它很可爱。Shì de, tā hěn kě'ài.Yes, it is very cute.
- 俊杰 Junjie它是你的小猫吗？Tā shì nǐ de xiǎomāo ma?Is it your little cat?
- 雨婷 Yuting不，是邻居家的。Bù, shì línjū jiā de.No, it belongs to the neighbor.
