About
The character for cat, represented in its simplified form as "猫" and traditionally as "貓", operates as a phonetic compound where the element "苗" provides the approximate sound while the radical denotes its animal category, originally employing "豸" to signify long-tailed beasts before transitioning to the more generalized beast radical "犭". This structural configuration, which pairs a meaningful classifier with a sonic indicator, has preserved the character's primary association with the feline species throughout its historical usage, without substantive shift in its core denotation. The choice of "苗" as the phonetic component likely stems from an early auditory alignment with the spoken term for cat, and while the visual representation of the radical has been modified, the integral relationship between sound and meaning within the character's architecture has remained consistent.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我有一只小猫。
猫在桌子上。
这只猫很可爱。
妈妈喜欢那只猫。
猫和狗是好朋友。
我每天喂猫两次。
猫的尾巴很长很软。
那只猫躲在沙发后面。