About
The character for "cat", pronounced "māo", derives from the traditional form "貓", which combines the semantic radical "豸" associated with animal classification and the phonetic component "苗" that suggests its sound. In the simplified version "猫", the radical is altered to "犭", a common element for characters pertaining to animals, while the phonetic "苗" remains unchanged. This character has always referred to the domestic cat, with its structure consistently following the pattern of a meaning-indicating radical paired with a sound-bearing component.
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。