{"id":766,"date":"2025-07-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/?p=766"},"modified":"2026-01-27T22:42:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:42:34","slug":"what-is-nyaa-nyaa-the-japanese-sound-of-a-cat-meowing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/?p=766","title":{"rendered":"What Sound Do Cats Make in Japanese? Discover the cutest \u201cMeow\u201d You\u2019ve Never Heard This Way"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When a cat strolls by and lets out a soft \u201cmeow,\u201d what do the Japanese hear?<br><br>They hear \u201c<strong>Nyaa nyaa!<\/strong>\u201d (\u306b\u3083\u3041\u306b\u3083\u3042)\u2014 the adorable sound of a cat\u2019s voice in Japanese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, let\u2019s listen to how it sounds!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/001_\u305a\u3093\u3060\u3082\u3093\uff08\u30ce\u30fc\u30de\u30eb\uff09_\u306b\u3083\u3042-\u306b\u3083\u3042.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is \u201cNyaa Nyaa\u201d (\u306b\u3083\u3041\u306b\u3083\u3042)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNyaa nyaa\u201d is the Japanese onomatopoeia for a cat\u2019s meow.<br><br>It\u2019s used in books, cartoons, anime, and everyday speech when mimicking or describing a cat\u2019s cry.<br><br>It\u2019s a cute, light, and playful expression that instantly brings a cat to mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pronunciation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>nyah nyah<br>(Think of \u201cnya\u201d as rhyming with \u201cyeah\u201d but starting with an \u201cn.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Categories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Animals \/ Sound<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"swell-block-postLink\">\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard -internal\" data-type=\"type1\" data-onclick=\"clickLink\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"p-blogCard__caption\">\u3042\u308f\u305b\u3066\u8aad\u307f\u305f\u3044<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__thumb c-postThumb\"><figure class=\"c-postThumb__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cat_sound_born_main_-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"c-postThumb__img u-obf-cover\" width=\"320\" height=\"180\"><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__body\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"p-blogCard__title\" href=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/?p=5652\">Meowth and Nyarth: How Languages Shape Pok\u00e9mon Names<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"p-blogCard__excerpt\">You\u2019ve probably heard of Meowth, the clever, coin-loving cat Pok\u00e9mon.Its name sounds exactly like a cat\u2019s meow\u2014because that\u2019s what it\u2019s based on! In English,&#8230;<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"swell-block-postLink\">\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard -internal\" data-type=\"type1\" data-onclick=\"clickLink\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"p-blogCard__caption\">\u3042\u308f\u305b\u3066\u8aad\u307f\u305f\u3044<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__thumb c-postThumb\"><figure class=\"c-postThumb__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/niwa_main-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"c-postThumb__img u-obf-cover\" width=\"320\" height=\"180\"><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__body\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"p-blogCard__title\" href=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/?p=992\">What Sound Does a Rooster Make in Japanese? Discover \u201cKo-ke-kok-koh!\u201d and Its Meaning<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"p-blogCard__excerpt\">You might know the sound of a rooster as \u201ccock-a-doodle-doo!\u201d in English.But in Japanese, the proud morning call goes \u2014 \u201cKo-ke-kok-koh!\u201d (\u30b3\u30b1\u30b3\u30c3\u30b3\u30fc) .It\u2019s&#8230;<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Does \u201cNyaa Nyaa\u201d Look Like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In Japanese picture books, the text of this sound is often drawn in curvy, soft fonts \u2014 like whiskers curling or tails swaying.<br><br>Sometimes it\u2019s written in pink or yellow speech bubbles to match the cute image of a cat.<br><br>Even the letters feel like they\u2019re stretching and purring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"265\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/nyanya_t.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-768\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/niko_2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-136\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Do You Say It?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s soft, playful, and oh-so-cute \u2014 <strong>Nyaa nyaa!<\/strong><br><br>Try saying it out loud like a happy little cat curling up in the sun.<br><br>Let it stretch out a little: <strong>Nyaaaan\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/001_\u305a\u3093\u3060\u3082\u3093\uff08\u30ce\u30fc\u30de\u30eb\uff09_\u306b\u3083\u3042-\u306b\u3083\u3042.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Let\u2019s Compare!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cats meow all over the world \u2014 but how do different languages hear them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">English: Meow meow!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cat_eng.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spanish: Miau miau!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cat_es.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why do cat sounds differ by language?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cats might meow the same way everywhere, but people <em>hear<\/em> it differently.<br><br>That\u2019s because onomatopoeia reflects how each language filters sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Japanese, for example, uses soft vowels and gentle repetition \u2014 \u201c<strong>nyaa nyaa<\/strong>\u201d feels light, sweet, and cute.<br>In English, \u201cmeow\u201d stretches and bends with a dip in the middle.<br>In Spanish, \u201cmiau\u201d is short and bright \u2014 like a quick, playful call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not just about the sound \u2014 it\u2019s about rhythm, tone, and the culture behind how we listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, even though the cat says the same thing, each language adds its own flair!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Examples in Daily Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Example 1: A cat calling for food<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The cat rubbed against her legs and meowed \u2014<br>\u201c<strong>Nyaa nyaa!<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/nya_1.png\" alt=\"What Sound Do Cats Make in Japanese?\" class=\"wp-image-773\" srcset=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/nya_1.png 320w, https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/nya_1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/nya_1-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Example 2: A child playing pretend<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Wearing a headband with cat ears, she said,<br>\u201cI\u2019m a kitty! <strong>Nyaa nyaa!<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"319\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/nya_2.png\" alt=\"What Sound Do Cats Make in Japanese?\" class=\"wp-image-778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/nya_2.png 319w, https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/nya_2-300x212.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 319px) 100vw, 319px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cultural Note<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Different languages hear animals differently!<br><br>While English-speaking cats go \u201cmeow,\u201d Japanese cats say \u201c<strong>nyaa<\/strong>.\u201d<br><br>This reflects how language and culture shape even the way we hear the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why Japanese people playing with a cat often say \u201c<strong>nyaa nyaa<\/strong>\u201d without thinking \u2014 it just <em>sounds<\/em> like a cat to them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Watch &amp; Feel the \u201cNyaa Nyaa\u201d World!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Cat Meowing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>What sound do you hear \u2014 \u201c<strong>Nyaa nyaa<\/strong>,\u201d \u201c<strong>Meow meow<\/strong>,\u201d or something else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative; width:60%; margin:0 auto; text-align:center;\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8jM4XT-5CUA\"\n     target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n     aria-label=\"Watch this video on YouTube\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/8jM4XT-5CUA\/hqdefault.jpg\"\n         alt=\"Watch on YouTube\"\n         style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:10px;\">\n    <div style=\"position:absolute; top:50%; left:50%; transform:translate(-50%,-50%);\n                font-size:32px; color:white; background:rgba(0,0,0,0.6);\n                padding:8px 12px; border-radius:50%;\">\n      \u25b6\n    <\/div>\n  <\/a>\n\n  <div style=\"margin-top:8px; font-weight:600;\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8jM4XT-5CUA\"\n       target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n       style=\"color:#78e2c8; text-decoration:none;\">\n      \u25b6 Watch on YouTube\n    <\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leave a Comment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This site is growing little by little.<br>If you\u2019re curious about what kind of onomatopoeia fits a certain scene or feeling, feel free to make a request!<br><br>Kind thoughts, warm feedback, or any nice ideas are always welcome.<br>You can leave a comment in the section at the bottom of the page.<br><br>Looking forward to hearing from you.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"swell-block-postLink\">\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard -internal\" data-type=\"type1\" data-onclick=\"clickLink\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"p-blogCard__caption\">\u3042\u308f\u305b\u3066\u8aad\u307f\u305f\u3044<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__thumb c-postThumb\"><figure class=\"c-postThumb__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wan_main-300x201.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"c-postThumb__img u-obf-cover\" width=\"320\" height=\"180\"><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__body\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"p-blogCard__title\" href=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/?p=688\">What Sound Do Dogs Make in Japanese? Discover the Cutest Bark You Didn\u2019t Expect<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"p-blogCard__excerpt\">You might think dogs around the world go \u201cwoof\u201d or \u201cbark\u201d \u2014 but in Japanese, they say \u201cWan Wan!\u201d (\u308f\u3093\u308f\u3093).It\u2019s the most common sound to represent a dog\u2019s b&#8230;<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"p-blogParts post_content\" data-partsID=\"5307\">\n<div class=\"swell-block-capbox cap_box is-style-intext\"><div class=\"cap_box_ttl\"><span>Explore Creatures Cave:<\/span><\/div><div class=\"cap_box_content\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/?page_id=587\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/cave_awa_2.png\"\n       alt=\"creatures cave\"\n       class=\"puni-top-image\"\n       style=\"border-radius: 15px;\">\n<\/a>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"p-blogParts post_content\" data-partsID=\"4919\">\n<div class=\"swell-block-fullWide pc-py-60 sp-py-40 alignfull\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><div class=\"swell-block-fullWide__inner l-article\">\n<div class=\"swell-block-capbox cap_box is-style-intext\"><div class=\"cap_box_ttl\"><span>More Sound-based Onomatopoeia:<\/span><\/div><div class=\"cap_box_content\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/?cat=35\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mint_background-x300_sound_enter___.png\"\n       alt=\"illustration for sound-based category\"\n       class=\"puni-top-image\"\n       style=\"border-radius: 15px;\">\n<\/a>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"swell-block-button is-style-btn_normal\"><a href=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\" class=\"swell-block-button__link\"><span>Home<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When a cat strolls by and lets out a soft \u201cmeow,\u201d what do the Japanese hear? They hear \u201cNyaa nyaa!\u201d (\u306b\u3083\u3041\u306b\u3083\u3042)\u2014 the adorable sound of a cat\u2019s voice in Japanese. First, let\u2019s listen to how it sounds! What is \u201cNyaa Nyaa\u201d (\u306b\u3083\u3041\u306b\u3083\u3042)? \u201cNyaa nyaa\u201d is the Japanese onomatopoeia for a cat\u2019s meow. It\u2019s used in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"swell_btn_cv_data":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-_sound-based","category-animals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=766"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6225,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766\/revisions\/6225"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}