にゃあ
nyā
The English phrase "meow" is translated into Japanese as にゃあ (nyā). Wiktionary also lists にゃん (nyan) and にゃ (nya).
Meaning: cry of a cat (intj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| にゃあ | nyā | |
| にゃん | nyan | [ɲ̟ã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
| にゃ | nya | [ɲ̟a̠] (narrow) |
In Japanese, the onomatopoeia for a cat's cry is primarily expressed as にゃー. When writing to represent a cat meowing continuously or repetitively, it is standard to repeat the sound as にゃーにゃー.
Which one should you use?
While にゃあ is a standard form, にゃん is a common variation used by characters in manga and anime to imitate cats. Additionally, にゃ serves as a popular informal way to say "meow". For an exaggerated effect, the sound can be doubled to にゃんにゃん.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
nyā
When do people say it?
The sound にゃん is often used to create endearing nicknames for cats, such as にゃんこ (nyanko).
Did you know?
- In Japanese internet culture, people sometimes replace the ending of their sentences with にゃん to sound cute or cat-like, a style known as 'nyan-go'.
- While にゃあ is the standard sound, Japanese has a separate word, 鳴く (naku), that is used for the 'crying' of birds, cats and frogs alike.
- In Japanese manga, the text for a cat meowing is often written in specific stylized fonts to convey whether the cat is a small kitten or a large, grumpy cat.
Examples in context
- 猫はにゃーにゃーと鳴く。Cats go "meow, meow."This sentence is useful for showing how to represent repetitive meowing using the form にゃ.Tatoeba #121966 by Sim5634, translation #282037 by shekitten
- にゃんにゃん！Meow-meow!
- にゃ！Meow!
- 猫の鳴き声ってどうやって表現するの？How do you express the sound a cat makes?
- にゃーとか、にゃんって言いますよ。Well, we say "nyā" or "nyan" for example.
- 猫がにゃあとないた。Neko ga nyaa to naita.The cat meowed.
- 子猫がにゃあにゃあ言っています。Koneko ga nyaa nyaa itte imasu.The kitten is saying meow meow.
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are listening to a kitten in a box.
- 結衣 Yuiあ、子猫がにゃあとないたよ。A, koneko ga nyaa to naita yo.Oh, the kitten meowed.
- 蓮 Ren本当だ、可愛いね。Hontou da, kawaii ne.You're right, it's cute.
- 結衣 Yui蓮くん、お腹が空いたのかな？Ren-kun, onaka ga suita no kana?Ren, I wonder if he is hungry?
- 蓮 Ren多分、ご飯を欲しがっているよ。Tabun, gohan o hoshigatte iru yo.Maybe he wants some food.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “meow” translations and entries にゃあ, にゃん, にゃ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
