What Are Cats Called in Japan?

The Japanese word for "cat" is neko (written in kanji as 猫 and in hiragana as ねこ). It is pronounced "neh-koh" (with equal stress on both syllables).

Neko is ubiquitous in Japanese culture: from the lucky maneki-neko (beckoning cat figurine) to neko-cafés, anime characters, and the legendary bakeneko (supernatural cat) of folklore. The character 猫 appears in countless compound words, idioms, and place names, reflecting the cat's special place in the Japanese imagination.