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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "kitten" in Japanese?
子猫
koneko
In Japanese, "kitten" is 子猫 (koneko).
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Pronunciation
Koh-NEH-koh, three syllables, small plus neko, the everyday word for cat.
Writing and usage
子猫 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
柔らかな子猫が私の膝の上でゴロゴロと喉を鳴らしていました。
yawara kana koneko ga watashi no hiza no uede gorogoro to nodo wo nara shiteimashita.
A soft kitten purred on my lap.
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How to remember 子猫
Koneko is small-cat, so once you know neko is cat, a kitten is just a tiny version of it.
Related words
- ant アリ ari
- bee 蜂 hachi
- butterfly 蝶 chou
- spider クモ kumo
- snail カタツムリ katatsumuri
- worm ミミズ mimizu
- cockroach ゴキブリ gokiburi
- scorpion サソリ sasori
- lizard トカゲ tokage
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 子猫
How do you pronounce 子猫?
Koh-NEH-koh, three syllables, small plus neko, the everyday word for cat.
Is 子猫 formal or casual?
子猫 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 子猫 written in Japanese?
子猫 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as koneko.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Kitten" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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