Instead of saying meow, cats in Japan say nyan. By coincidence, this is similar to the pronunciation of the Japanese word for “two”.
In American English, the spelling "meow" was first used in 1842.
Syllable. The hiragana syllable にゃ (nya). Its equivalent in katakana is ニャ (nya).
Cats make the nyaa-nyaa (ニャーニャー) or 'meow' sound! Their sound has a wide variety, such as the long nyaa (ニャー) or nyaan (ニャーン), or the short and cute nyan (ニャン) or nyao (ニャオ). The Japanese sound for a cat's purr is goro-goro (ゴロゴロ), which makes them sound like tiny, fluffy motorcycles!
Instead of saying meow, cats in Japan say nyan. By coincidence, this is similar to the pronunciation of the Japanese word for “two”. Because of this, February 22, or 22/2, is recognized by many as Neko no Hi, or Cat Day.
nyā, a transliteration of the Japanese onomatopoeia for a cat's meow.
It can refer to actual cats or to characters in anime or manga that have catlike features. Specifically, the catgirl (a woman with cat ears, whiskers, and sometimes paws or a tail) is referred to as a neko. Neko is also Japanese slang for “bottom,” or the submissive/receiving partner in a homosexual relationship.
子猫 {noun} kitty (also: kitten)
Meow is one of the two main characters of the short anime series Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran. She is a Chinese martial artist skilled in the Iron Cat Fist style. She wanders across Japan with her friend Tsukikage Ran, facing some kind of wrongdoings in various towns and ending up solving them out.
Repeated meows may indicate that your cat is excited, while high-pitched meows can mean that your kitty is startled or hurt. Low-pitched meows express unhappiness and are a way for your furry companion to let you know you've done something wrong.
Nya is the sound a cat makes in Japan. So since anime takes place in Japan most of the time, the cats/cat girls would say nya since that's what a cat says in Japan other than they say meow over here in the U.S.
Dictionary.com on Twitter: "In Japan, cats do not meow. They nyan.
The Japanese word nya (にゃ) is onomatopoeic, imitating the call of a cat (equivalent to English "meow").
In Japan, dogs bark by saying wan wan (which rhymes with “on,” not “pan”).
In Japanese, a cat's meow is “ニャン” or 'Nyan'.
The bakeneko! Literally "cat-monster", the bakeneko is a yôkai (spirit of Japanese folklore) taking on the appearance of a long-tailed cat. This tail would allow it to walk on two legs, and some special abilities like speech, metamorphism, and even the resurrection of the dead!
Bananya (ばなにゃ) is an original Japanese anime television series produced by animation studio Gathering. It aired from July 4, 2016, to September 26, 2016. The series follows a white cat who lives inside a banana. It was streamed outside of Japan by Crunchyroll.
The maneki-neko (招き猫, lit. 'beckoning cat') is a common Japanese figurine which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner. In modern times, they are usually made of ceramic or plastic.
The gay community in Japan has also adopted Neko (猫) as a term. It refers to partners who enjoy submissiveness rather than being bottom or dominant. It can also refer to femmes among women and twinks among men, both of which are similarly feminine. The opposite word is tachi or top.
Neko and furry[edit]
As characters, cats (and nekomimi) are not considered furry per se, all though they can be also found in furry art, fursuiting, and as a basis for role play characters or fursonas.
neko no ko koneko, shishi no ko kojishi (猫の子子猫、獅子の子子獅子), using the variant readings ne, ko, shi, ji for the character (子). This translates to "the cat's young kitten, the lion's young cub" or with annotations: "the young of cat (猫, neko), kitten (子猫, koneko) and the young of lion (獅子, shishi), cub (子獅子, kojishi)."
Nya is a beautiful given name for baby girls. Of Swahili origin, Nia means "purpose" and "tenacity," two essential traits for powerful little ladies who plan on making their mark on the world! Nya also spelled Nia, has Welsh and Irish roots, too, with the diminutive Niamh a popular choice on the Emerald Isle.
Meowing is all-purpose; your cat may be using "meow" as a greeting, a command, an objection or an announcement. Some people have observed their cats walking around the house meowing to themselves. Chirps and trills are how a mother cat tells their kittens to follow them.
Nya, the Japanese equivalent for Meow.