Japanese kanji 猫: cat, readings and words

The idea

猫 has 11 strokes. Follow the linked stroke-order diagram. 猫 is read ねこ and means cat; 子猫 is read こねこ and means kitten. 黒猫 is read くろねこ: black cat.

Examples

• 庭にわに猫ねこがいます。There is a cat in the garden.
• 猫ねこが水みずを飲のんでいます。The cat is drinking water.
• 家いえで猫ねこと遊あそびます。I play with the cat at home.
• 子猫こねこが寝ねています。A kitten is sleeping.
• 子猫こねこは白しろいです。The kitten is white.
• この猫ねこは魚さかなが好すきです。This cat likes fish.
• 黒猫くろねこが窓まどのそばにいます。A black cat is by the window.

Watch out

Compare 猫 with 苗; notice their different parts and strokes rather than guessing from the overall shape. 猫 has 犭 on the left, unlike 苗. 黒猫 is a black cat: learn 黒 as くろ in this word.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 猫 in hiragana.

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   ねこ

   猫 is read ねこ; it means cat. Remember the reading with the whole word.

2. Write the reading of 子猫 in hiragana.

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   こねこ

   子猫 is read こねこ; it means kitten. Remember the reading with the whole word.

3. Write くろねこ in kanji for “black cat”.

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   黒猫

   黒猫 is written with 猫 and read くろねこ; it means black cat.

Use it today

Write 猫 three times using the linked stroke order. Cover the table, read 猫 and 子猫, and make a sentence with one of them.