Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| gato atigrado | /ɡato atiɡɾado/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| gato romano | /ɡato ɾomano/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| mish barcino | /mis baɾθino/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /mis baɾsino/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
The adjective atigrado can also be used more broadly to mean 'brindled'.
What does it mean word for word?
The word atigrado is derived from tigre (tiger) and literally means 'tiger-striped' or 'tiger-like'.
Which one should you use?
Gato atigrado is the most standard and widely understood way to describe a tabby cat throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Other forms include gato romano and mish barcino.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, gato atigrado is the preferred formal term. In Mexico, the phrase gato rayado is frequently used to describe a tabby cat.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the noun it modifies. While the masculine form is gato atigrado, you should use the feminine gata atigrada to specify a female tabby cat or the adjective atigrada for other feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡato atiɡɾado/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word gato is a homonym that can also mean 'cake' when borrowed from French.
- In certain regions, you might hear the term mish barcino to refer to a tabby cat. This uses mish, a word of onomatopoeic origin borrowed from the Pipil language.
- The term gato romano is used in some contexts to describe a tabby cat, which might lead a student to mistakenly think the cat is related to the city of Rome.
Examples in context
- ¡Qué hermoso gato atigrado!What a beautiful tabby cat!
- Ese gato atigrado es muy juguetón.That tabby cat is very playful.
- Vi un gato atigrado en el jardín.I saw a tabby cat in the garden.
- Mi gato atigrado duerme en el sofá.My tabby cat sleeps on the sofa.
Example conversation
María and Alejandro are looking at a photo of a pet.
- María¿Es tu nuevo gato atigrado?Is that your new tabby cat?
- AlejandroSí, es un gato atigrado muy bonito.Yes, he is a very pretty tabby cat.
- MaríaMe encanta su color.I love his color.
- AlejandroÉl es muy especial para mí.He is very special to me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tabby” translations and entries gato atigrado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries atigrado, gato, mish, romano, CC BY-SA 4.0.
