ニャー
nya
The English phrase "mew" is translated into Japanese as ニャー (nya).
This phrase represents the sound that a cat makes.
Which one should you use?
While ニャー is the standard way to write the sound, the repetitive form ニャンニャン is used to represent the sound in a more cutesy or rhythmic context. Additionally, writing the sound in hiragana as にゃー makes the cat's sound appear softer or more gentle compared to the katakana version.
How do you pronounce it?
nya
Did you know?
- In Japanese pop culture, particularly in anime, characters who are obsessed with cats or have 'cat-like' personalities often end their sentences with ニャー or にゃ as a verbal tic.
- The sound ニャー can be used as a verb by adding る to create ニャる, meaning 'to meow'.
- The affectionate nickname ニャンコ for a cat is not just a name but is built directly from the phonetic sound of the cat's 'mew' itself.
Examples in context
- 彼女はにゃーと鳴いた。She meowed like a kitten.
- 猫ちゃんがにゃんと鳴いたよ。The kitty meowed like "nyan."
- 猫がニャーと鳴きました。Neko ga nyā to nakimashita.The cat mewed.
- あの子、ニャーと鳴いてるよ。Ano ko, nyā to naiteru yo.That one is mewing.
- 猫のニャーという声が好きです。Neko no nyā to iu koe ga suki desu.I like the sound of a cat mewing.
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are looking at a cat in the street.
- 美咲 Misaki見て、猫ちゃんがニャーって言ってるよ！mite, neko-chan ga nyaa tte itteru yo!Look, the kitty is saying meow!
- 陽太 Yota本当だ。すごく可愛いね。hontou da. sugoku kawaii ne.You're right. It's so cute.
- 美咲 Misakiニャー、こっちにおいで。nyaa, kocchi ni oide.Meow, come over here.
- 陽太 Yota逃げちゃったね。nigechatta ne.It ran away, didn't it?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ニャー, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
