meo
[mɛw˧˧]
In Vietnamese, "meow" is translated as meo. Wiktionary also lists ngoao and ngao.
Meaning: cry of a cat (intj)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| meo | [mɛw˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [mɛw˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| ngoao | ||
| ngao | [ŋaːw˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ŋaːw˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| meo meo | [mɛw˧˧ mɛw˧˧] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) | |
| mèo mèo | [mɛw˨˩ mɛw˨˩] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) | |
| méo | [mɛw˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [mɛw˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
emphatic |
The words used to represent the cry of a cat function as both interjections and nouns. The standard sound is represented by meo, while ngoao or ngao describes a more aggressive or louder cry.
Which one should you use?
While meo represents the standard sound of a cat, the forms ngoao or ngao are used to represent a louder, more drawn-out or more aggressive meow. The form méo is used as an emphatic version.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Reduplication of the word, such as meo meo or mèo mèo, is used to make the sound more rhythmic or cute, which is common when speaking to children or about pets.
Did you know?
- The form méo can serve a dual purpose: while it sounds like a cat's meow, it is also used as a 'minced oath', a polite way to avoid saying the vulgar swear word đéo.
- The standard Vietnamese word for a cat's cry, meo, is actually a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of the Chinese character for 'hair', which is 毛.
- The word for a cat's cry, meo, is almost identical to the word for the animal itself, mèo.
Examples in context
- Meo!Meow!This example shows how to use the interjection meo.Tatoeba #10705735 by MrOhno, translation #10699281 by AutoBot
- Con mèo nhà tôi không phản ứng gì khi tôi gọi tên nó, nhưng lại phản ứng khi tôi kêu "meo".My cat responded not to her name, but instead when I said "meow."This sentence illustrates how a cat might respond to the sound meo.Tatoeba #13693194 by leucammieuvu, translation #13692887 by Babelball
- Mèo của tôi thích kêu vào buổi sáng.My cat likes to meow in the morning.
- Nghe kìa, con mèo đang kêu meo meo.Listen, the cat is meowing.
Example conversation
Hương and Hùng are listening to a pet cat in the living room.
- HươngHùng ơi, em nghe thấy tiếng con mèo kêu meo không?Hung, do you hear the cat meowing?
- HùngAnh nghe thấy rồi, nó đang đói đấy.I hear it, it must be hungry.
- HươngChắc là nó muốn ăn hạt đây mà.It probably wants to eat some kibble.
- HùngĐể anh đi lấy đồ ăn cho nó nhé.Let me go get its food.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “meow” translations and entries meo, ngao, méo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (meo, mèo) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries meo, méo, ngao, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
