猫

貓

māo, máo

犭 + 苗

HSK 2.0Level 1

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

māo (noun) cat

māo (verb) to hide oneself

māo (noun) modem

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 犭 represents the meaning and 苗 represents the sound. Simplified form of 貓.

Semantic: 犭 Phonetic: 苗

About

猫 is a phono-semantic compound and the simplified form of 貓. The radical 犭 (general animal) indicates the meaning, while 苗 provides the sound. The traditional form uses 豸, a radical associated with felines and beasts of prey. The character means "cat", covering domestic cats and, in compounds, small wild felines. It commonly appears in words for feline behaviors, breeds, and metaphors for stealthy, agile movement.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我有一只小猫。

Wǒ yǒu yī zhī xiǎo māo.

I have a small cat.

猫在桌子上。

Māo zài zhuōzi shàng.

The cat is on the table.

这只猫很可爱。

Zhè zhī māo hěn kě'ài.

This cat is very cute.

妈妈喜欢那只猫。

Māmā xǐhuān nà zhī māo.

Mom likes that cat.

猫和狗是好朋友。

Māo hé gǒu shì hǎo péngyǒu.

Cats and dogs are good friends.

我每天喂猫两次。

Wǒ měi tiān wèi māo liǎng cì.

I feed the cat twice a day.

猫的尾巴很长很软。

Māo de wěibā hěn cháng hěn ruǎn.

The cat's tail is very long and soft.

那只猫躲在沙发后面。

Nà zhī māo duǒ zài shāfā hòumiàn.

That cat is hiding behind the sofa.

Related Characters

Component: 犭

Component: 苗

猫