にゃ
nya[ɲ̟a̠]
The Japanese onomatopoeia for a cat's meow is にゃ (nyah).
にゃ is used as a playful and affectionate way to imitate a cat's meow. A longer variation, にゃんにゃん, is also used, frequently by anime characters or when playfully teasing someone.
How do you pronounce it?
nya
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific word, 猫舌 (nekojita), which literally means 'cat tongue' and describes a person who cannot eat hot food or drinks.
- Japanese people use the term 猫を被る (neko o kaburu), which means 'to wear a cat', to describe someone who is hiding their true temperament to appear cute or innocent.
- Japanese speakers may use にゃ in text messages to soften a request or make a message feel less demanding and more playful.
Examples in context
- 猫がにゃーと鳴いた。Neko ga nyaa to naita.The cat went meow.
- にゃー、と可愛く鳴く。Nyaa, to kawaiku naku.It meows cutely.
- 子猫がにゃーと鳴いています。Koneko ga nyaa to naite imasu.The kitten is meowing.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are looking at a kitten in a cafe.
- 蓮 Ren見て、この子かわいいよ。mite, kono ko kawaii yo.Look, this little one is cute.
- 美咲 Misaki本当だ！にゃーって鳴いた！hontō da! nyā tte naita!You're right! It went meow!
- 蓮 Renにゃ、って聞こえたね。nya, tte kikoeta ne.It really sounded like 'nyah'.
- 美咲 Misakiすごく可愛い声だね。sugoku kawaii koe da ne.It has such a cute voice.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry にゃ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
