miaou
/mja.u/
The English phrase "miaow" is translated into French as miaou.
miaou is used to represent the sound that a cat makes.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /mja.u/.
Did you know?
- In French, the word miaou functions as both a sound and a verb miauler, but it is also used in a playful, colloquial way to describe a person who is whining or complaining softly.
- While the sound is miaou, the French word for a 'purr' is ronronner, which uses a repetitive nasal sound that mirrors the vibration of a cat more closely than the English 'purr'.
- Historically, older French texts sometimes used the spelling miault to represent this same sound before the modern miaou became standardized.
Examples in context
- J'ai entendu un miaou venant de la grange.I heard a miaow coming from the barn.
- Le chat a émis un meuglement étrange.The cat emitted a strange miaow.
- Un miaou perçantA piercing miaow
- Un miaou affectueuxAn affectionate miaow
- Un miaou interrogatifA questioning miaow
- Le chat fait un petit miaou.The cat makes a little miaow.
- J'ai entendu un miaou dans la cuisine.I heard a miaow in the kitchen.
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are looking at a cat.
- ManonRegarde le petit chat !Look at the little cat!
- HugoIl fait miaou pour nous.He is meowing at us.
- ManonIl veut sûrement un biscuit.He probably wants a treat.
- HugoOui, il continue de faire miaou.Yes, he keeps meowing.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry miaou, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries miaou, CC BY-SA 4.0.
