猫 — Kanji Reference

猫 (cat): 11 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ビョウ. Kun: ねこ.

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猫

Property Value
Meaning cat
Strokes 11
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) ビョウ
Kun-reading (訓読み) ねこ
Radical 犭 (けものへん - animal radical, U+72AD)

Stroke Order

The character follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right.

  1. Stroke 1: Left side, short downward stroke.
  2. Stroke 2: Left side, lower curve.
  3. Stroke 3: Left side, final downward stroke (the "animal" radical).
  4. Stroke 4: Top horizontal line of the right component.
  5. Stroke 5: Vertical line down from the center of the top horizontal.
  6. Stroke 6: Horizontal line forming the top of the "field" (田) shape.
  7. Stroke 7: Vertical line on the left of the "field".
  8. Stroke 8: Horizontal line closing the top-right of the "field".
  9. Stroke 9: Horizontal line across the middle of the "field".
  10. Stroke 10: Horizontal line at the bottom of the "field".
  11. Stroke 11: Final vertical stroke through the center of the "field".

Radical Analysis

  • Radical: 犭 (けものへん - kemono-hen). This radical is derived from 犬 (dog) and is used for most animals. It indicates that the character relates to a beast or animal.
  • Component: 苗 (びょう - byou). This part acts as a phonetic indicator (providing the on-reading). It represents "seedlings" or "sprouts."
  • Synthesis: The combination suggests an animal (犭) that is small or nimble like a sprout (苗), or simply uses the phonetic sound of "byou" to represent the sound a cat makes (meow/byou).

Mnemonic

Imagine a cat (猫) sitting in a field (田) of seedlings (苗). The cat is so small and quiet that it looks like it grew right out of the ground like a plant!

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ビョウ (Byou)

Word Reading Romaji English
猫科 ねこか Nekoka Felidae (cat family)
愛猫 あいびょう Aibyou Pet cat
猫背 ねこぜ Nekoze Stooped posture (cat-back)

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

ねこ (Neko)

Word Reading Romaji English
猫 ねこ Neko Cat
野良猫 のらねこ Noraneko Stray cat
子猫 こねこ Koneko Kitten

JLPT N5 Words Using 猫

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
猫 ねこ Neko Cat N5
子猫 こねこ Koneko Kitten N5
猫背 ねこぜ Nekoze Stooped posture N4
愛猫 あいびょう Aibyou Pet cat N3

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
庭に猫がいます。 にわにねこがいます。 Niwa ni neko ga imasu. There is a cat in the garden.
私は猫が大好きです。 わたしはねこがだいすきです。 Watashi wa neko ga daisuki desu. I love cats.
あの野良猫はとてもかわいい。 あののらねこはとてもかわいい。 Ano noraneko wa totemo kawaii. That stray cat is very cute.
猫背を直したいです。 ねこぜをなおしたいです。 Nekoze o naoshitai desu. I want to fix my stooped posture.
子猫が遊んでいます。 こねこがあそんでいます。 Koneko ga asonde imasu. The kitten is playing.
彼女は愛猫家です。 かのじょはあいびょうかです。 Kanojo wa aibyouka desu. She is a cat lover.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
猫 ねこ Cat Has the animal radical (犭).
苗 なえ Seedling Lacks the animal radical; represents plants.
描 ビョウ To draw Has the hand radical (扌) instead of the animal radical.

Usage Frequency Note

猫 is a high-frequency kanji in daily life. It is used in both casual conversation and written media. Because cats are popular pets in Japan, you will encounter this kanji frequently in advertisements, social media, and literature. It is one of the first animal kanji learned by students.