Chinese Character for Cat 猫: Meaning, 貓 & the Zodiac

What does 猫 mean?

猫 (māo) means cat. It stands alone as an ordinary word: 一只猫 (yì zhī māo, “a cat”). The usual compounds are 小猫 (xiǎomāo, kitten), 猫咪 (māomī, the affectionate, sing-song form used with pets), 猫粮 (māoliáng, cat food), 猫眼 (māoyǎn, a door peephole, literally “cat’s eye”) and 猫头鹰 (māotóuyīng, an owl, literally “cat-headed eagle”).

The traditional form is 貓, built on the 豸 radical. Simplified 猫 uses 犭, the dog radical, which it shares with 狗, 猴 and 猪. Both forms carry 苗 as the phonetic component, which is why the character is read māo.

Two compounds are worth meeting before the zodiac question, because they surprise people. 熊猫 (xióngmāo) is a panda — literally “bear-cat”, which is a fair description of the animal. 招财猫 (zhāocáimāo) is the beckoning lucky cat, the Chinese name for the figure Westerners usually know from Japan as the maneki-neko.

Why the cat is not in the Chinese zodiac

The Chinese zodiac has twelve animals and the cat is not one of them. The twelve are 鼠 Rat, 牛 Ox, 虎 Tiger, 兔 Rabbit, 龙 Dragon, 蛇 Snake, 马 Horse, 羊 Goat, 猴 Monkey, 鸡 Rooster, 狗 Dog and 猪 Pig — all twelve of them domesticated or iconic animals of the Chinese agricultural world, and no cat.

The usual explanation is a folk story, told to children rather than recorded in the classical calendar rules. In the common version, the animals were invited to a race or a gathering, and the cat and the rat agreed to wake each other. The rat did not wake the cat, or pushed it off the ox’s back as they crossed the river, and the cat arrived too late. That is why — in the story — the cat holds a grudge against the rat to this day, and why 猫鼠 (cat and mouse) is the standard phrase for two parties in permanent opposition.

The details change between versions and between regions, and the story is folklore, not a rule from the calendar. The structural fact is simpler: the twelve-animal cycle was fixed long before the cat was a common household animal in China, so the cat had no seat to lose.

The cat in the Vietnamese zodiac

There is one genuine exception worth knowing. The Vietnamese zodiac replaces the Rabbit with the Cat, so the fourth sign is the Year of the Cat rather than the Year of the Rabbit. The other eleven animals are the same. If you are making anything for a Vietnamese recipient and reach for 兔, the sign they actually observe is 猫.

猫 in idioms and set phrases

猫哭老鼠 (māo kū lǎoshǔ, “a cat weeping over a mouse”) is the Chinese equivalent of crocodile tears — performed grief over the thing you are about to eat. 三脚猫 (sān jiǎo māo, “a three-legged cat”) describes a dabbler who is competent at nothing in particular. 照猫画虎 (zhào māo huà hǔ, “draw a tiger by copying a cat”) describes imitating something roughly and getting it wrong. 猫鼠同眠 (māo shǔ tóng mián, “cat and mouse sleeping together”) describes collusion between parties that are supposed to be opposed. 猫儿洗脸 (māo ér xǐ liǎn, “a cat washing its face”) is used for a perfunctory cleanup.

Is 猫 suitable for a tattoo or a design?

Yes, if the subject really is the animal. 猫 is highly legible, has a clear left-right structure, and sits well at both large and small sizes. Traditional 貓 is slightly denser because of the 豸 radical and needs marginally more space.

The caution is expectation rather than shape. Because the cat is missing from the zodiac, a 猫 design cannot carry a zodiac sign, a birth year or a branch. Anyone who wants the zodiac framing needs one of the twelve animals instead, and a cat design is simply about cats — which is a perfectly good reason to use it.

Is 猫 used in Chinese names?

Not in given names. 猫 is an animal word and reads as one, so it is used for pets and nicknames rather than for people. Pet cats are commonly called 咪咪 (mīmī), and 猫咪 works as an affectionate name as well as a description.

Design notes

Script猫 is 犭 with 苗; keep the 艹 crown of 苗 readable or the right half loses its shape.

ScaleTwelve strokes in a left-right layout hold up well small. Traditional 貓 is slightly denser.

ContextNo zodiac seat. If the design implies a birth year, the cat is the wrong animal.

What it does not mean

猫 does not mean luck, and it is not a zodiac sign. It does not mean cunning in the way the English “catty” suggests, and it is not an insult on its own. The lucky-cat figure belongs to 招财猫 as a whole and carries its own symbolism, which is not built into the character 猫.

Common mistakes

Assuming the cat has a zodiac year. It does not.
Using 猫 for a birth-year design, where one of the twelve animals is needed.
Using 猫 in a personal name.
Mixing simplified 猫 with traditional characters elsewhere in the design.
Confusing 熊猫 (panda) with a cat because of the shared character.

Related characters

Reference data

Character identity and the fields below are taken from the Unicode Unihan database (Unicode 18.0.0), the reference dataset published by the Unicode Consortium. Stroke counts follow the Unihan counting convention.

猫U+732B · 12 strokes (Unihan kTotalStrokes) · radical 犬 94 · Mandarin māo · Cantonese maau1 · “cat”

Source: Unicode Unihan database, Unicode 18.0.0, generated 2026-09-25.

Cat word family

猫, 貓, 猫咪 and 喵: the words around “cat” in Chinese

猫 (māo) is the ordinary Mandarin noun for a cat. The traditional form is 貓; both forms name the same animal, and the choice between them is a script choice rather than a difference in meaning. Simplified 猫 uses 犭, the reduced form of the dog radical 犬, on the left and 苗 on the right. Traditional 貓 uses the fuller 豸 component and is visually denser. Do not treat 猫 and 貓 as decorative variants inside one design: choose simplified or traditional consistently and check the final typeface.

The word family around cats is more useful than a single dictionary gloss. 小猫 (xiǎomāo) is a kitten or a small cat. 猫咪 (māomī) is an affectionate word for a cat and is common with pets. 猫猫 (māomāo) is a cute reduplication, especially in speech and online writing. 咪咪 (mīmī) is a common pet name or a playful way to call a cat, while 喵 (miāo) is the sound “meow” and 喵喵 (miāomiāo) is the repeated sound. None of these words is interchangeable in every sentence: 猫 is the neutral noun, 猫咪 is affectionate, and 喵 is onomatopoeia rather than a formal animal term.

Cat-related Chinese words, readings and ordinary use
Chinese	Pinyin	English	Use note
猫	māo	cat	The standard noun. Traditional form: 貓.
小猫	xiǎomāo	kitten; small cat	Size or age; not the usual word for a full-grown pet in every sentence.
猫咪	māomī	kitty; cat (affectionate)	Warm, familiar and very common with pets.
猫猫	māomāo	kitty; cat (cute)	Reduplication that sounds playful or childlike.
咪咪	mīmī	kitty; common pet name	Often a name or call, not a general formal noun.
喵	miāo	meow	Onomatopoeia; 喵喵 is the repeated sound.
野猫	yěmāo	wild cat; stray cat	Context decides whether it means a wild animal or an unowned cat.
家猫	jiāmāo	domestic cat	Contrasts with a wild or stray cat.
黑猫	hēimāo	black cat	A colour description, not a fixed symbol with one universal meaning.
宠物猫	chǒngwù māo	pet cat	宠物 means pet; the phrase is descriptive, not a breed name.
流浪猫	liúlàng māo	stray cat	流浪 describes wandering or being without a settled home.
猫粮	māoliáng	cat food	粮 here means food or provisions, not grain alone.
猫砂	māoshā	cat litter	Everyday pet-care vocabulary.
猫爪	māozhuǎ	cat paw	爪 is a claw or paw; pronunciation varies in other compounds.
猫眼	māoyǎn	peephole; cat’s eye	Literal in some contexts, a door peephole in everyday housing vocabulary.
猫步	māobù	catwalk; cat-like step	Can describe a modelling walk or a quiet, careful step.
猫头鹰	māotóuyīng	owl	Literally “cat-headed eagle”; the word names an owl, not a cat.
熊猫	xióngmāo	panda	Literally “bear-cat,” but the animal is a panda, not a kind of cat.

Two modern slang expressions are worth recognising without treating them as formal vocabulary. 猫奴 (māonú) literally says “cat servant” and is used humorously by people who dote on cats. 吸猫 (xīmāo) literally “suck cat” is internet slang for enjoying or obsessing over cats, and 撸猫 (lūmāo) means petting a cat. These expressions belong to informal online or conversational Chinese; they are not neutral translations for “cat owner” or “cat lover.” A clearer neutral phrase is 爱猫人士 (ài māo rénshì), a person who loves cats.

How to pronounce 猫: māo, not máo

猫 is māo, with a high-level first tone. The vowel is close to the English “ow” in “cow,” but the tone is not an English stress pattern and should be learned from audio. A common beginner error is to say máo, which is the second-tone reading of 毛 (hair, fur, wool). The two words are different characters and different meanings even though the letters look similar in pinyin.

Mandarin sound contrasts around 猫
Pinyin	Character	Ordinary meaning	Why it matters
māo	猫 / 貓	cat	High-level tone; the word on this page.
máo	毛	hair; fur; wool	Second tone; not a spelling variant of 猫.
mǎo	卯	the fourth Earthly Branch	Third tone; related to the zodiac discussion but not the character for cat.
mào	帽	hat; cap	Fourth tone; a different word.
miāo	喵	meow	A different syllable and an onomatopoeic word.

In the reference card on this page, the Mandarin reading follows the Unihan data for the character. Cantonese and other Chinese varieties have their own pronunciations; for example, the site records maau1 as a Cantonese reading, but that is not a pronunciation of Mandarin. If the design or message will be used with a particular community, have that community’s speaker check the reading rather than assuming one Mandarin reading covers every context.

Chinese zodiac, Vietnam and the “Year of the Cat” question

The standard Chinese zodiac has twelve animals: 鼠 (rat), 牛 (ox), 虎 (tiger), 兔 (rabbit), 龙 (dragon), 蛇 (snake), 马 (horse), 羊 (goat), 猴 (monkey), 鸡 (rooster), 狗 (dog) and 猪 (pig). The cat is not one of them. That does not mean cats were absent from Chinese life; it means the twelve-animal cycle does not assign them a zodiac seat. The fourth branch is 卯 (mǎo), commonly paired with the rabbit in the Chinese cycle.

The absence is often explained with a folk story: the rat and the cat were friends, the rat failed to wake the cat for the race, or the rat pushed the cat from the ox’s back. The details vary by telling. Treat the story as folklore, not as a historical record or a rule for calculating a zodiac year. Saying 属猫 (shǔ māo, “born in the Year of the Cat”) as a joke is understandable because the phrase follows the normal生肖 pattern, but it is not a standard Chinese zodiac category.

The Vietnamese zodiac is the major exception people usually have in mind. It replaces the rabbit with the cat in the fourth position, so the Vietnamese cycle includes a Year of the Cat. The other animals generally correspond to the Chinese twelve. If a design or article says “Chinese zodiac cat,” check which tradition it means: a Chinese zodiac animal design would normally use one of the twelve animals, while a Vietnamese Year of the Cat reference can correctly use 猫 or its Vietnamese-language equivalent.

Cat, rabbit and the fourth zodiac position
Tradition	Fourth-position animal	Chinese character	Use note
Chinese zodiac	Rabbit	兔	The standard twelve-animal cycle.
Vietnamese zodiac	Cat	猫 / 貓	Vietnam is commonly described as replacing the rabbit with the cat.
Earthly Branch	卯	卯	A calendrical branch, not the character 猫.

The distinction matters for a tattoo, birth-year gift or logo. 猫 says “cat,” not “rabbit” and not “the fourth zodiac sign.” If the purpose is specifically to represent a Chinese zodiac year, use the appropriate zodiac animal and verify the birth-year boundary. If the purpose is to represent a Vietnamese zodiac or a personal affection for cats, 猫 can be appropriate with a clear explanation.

猫 idioms and slang: literal and figurative meanings

Many cat expressions are not compliments and should not be translated word for word. The idiom 三脚猫 describes someone who has only superficial skill in many areas; it is not a cute way to say “three-legged cat.” 照猫画虎 describes copying something roughly and missing the real thing, like drawing a tiger from a cat as a model. 猫哭老鼠 describes crocodile tears or false sympathy, and 猫鼠同眠 describes people who should be opposed acting improperly close or colluding. 猫腻 (māonì) means a hidden trick, irregularity or something suspicious. 猫儿洗脸 is used for a perfunctory wash or superficial effort.

Common cat expressions and what they actually imply
Expression	Pinyin	Literal image	Usual meaning
三脚猫	sān jiǎo māo	three-legged cat	A person with scattered, superficial skills; not a compliment.
照猫画虎	zhào māo huà hǔ	draw a tiger from a cat	Imitate in a rough, superficial way.
猫哭老鼠	māo kū lǎoshǔ	a cat crying over a mouse	Insincere mourning; crocodile tears.
猫鼠同眠	māo shǔ tóng mián	cat and mouse sleeping together	Collusion or an improper relationship between parties that should be opposed.
猫腻	māonì	a cat’s greasy/secret thing	A hidden trick, irregularity or suspicious detail.
猫儿洗脸	māo ér xǐ liǎn	a cat washing its face	A quick, perfunctory clean-up.

Do not place these expressions in a tattoo, logo or gift without checking the full meaning and register. A character page can explain a phrase, but a permanent design needs a complete wording review. If the intended message is simply affection for cats, a neutral phrase such as 我爱猫 or a descriptive pet name is usually clearer than an idiom with a negative or ironic edge.

猫 culture, 招财猫 and the limits of symbolism

Cats appear in Chinese and East Asian life as household animals, mousers, pets, characters in stories and subjects of modern internet culture. That range is wider than any single symbol. 招财猫 (zhāocáimāo) is the Chinese name for the beckoning lucky-cat figure often associated with Japan and known there as maneki-neko. The lucky-cat figure is a composite commercial and folk object with its own gestures and colours; the single character 猫 does not automatically mean “wealth,” “luck” or “protection.”

Black cats are a useful example of why context matters. In some cultures and historical periods black cats have been associated with bad luck, while in others they are treated as ordinary pets or even as good luck. There is no single universal Chinese meaning that can be attached to 黑猫. Likewise, a cat may be a friendly domestic presence in one story and a sly or unreliable character in another. The character 猫 itself means cat; the surrounding story, object or phrase creates any symbolic reading.

If a design uses 招财猫, keep the three characters together or show the lucky-cat figure clearly. If a design uses only 猫, do not describe it as a zodiac sign, a guaranteed prosperity symbol or a traditional Chinese lucky charm without additional evidence. Those are claims about a specific object or tradition, not meanings built into the character.

猫 in names, pet names and permanent designs

猫 is not a conventional Chinese given name. It is an animal noun, so it normally reads as a pet word, a nickname or a literal reference to a cat. 咪咪, 猫咪, 小猫咪 and 喵喵 are common affectionate pet names. A person may use a cat-related screen name or nickname, and internet slang such as 猫奴 can be playful, but those uses are informal and should not be presented as a standard personal name. For a formal Chinese name, choose characters that are established in naming rather than converting a pet word into a given name.

As a design, simplified 猫 is a left-right character with a narrow 犭 radical and the 苗 component on the right. Traditional 貓 is denser and needs more horizontal or vertical space depending on the layout. Check the final stencil at the intended size, keep the two halves from collapsing into one mass, and do not mix 猫 with traditional characters elsewhere in the same line. If the design is vertical, decide whether it is read top to bottom or right to left and keep the reading order consistent.

A one-character cat design can be clear and attractive, but it carries the literal meaning “cat” rather than a broad abstract value. If the intended message is “cat lover,” use a complete, natural phrase and have a fluent reader check it. If the intended message is a pet memorial or a portrait, the exact name and dates may matter more than a symbolic claim. Before a tattoo, print or engraving, review the character form, pronunciation, placement and context with a fluent reader and the person carrying out the final work. See the Chinese zodiac animals guide for the twelve-animal cycle, or compare the tiger character if the design needs a zodiac animal.

猫 design check: what to confirm before using the character

Simplified 猫 and traditional 貓 are not interchangeable decorative variants inside the same line. If the rest of the design uses simplified characters, use 猫; if it uses traditional characters, use 貓. Check the radical and the 苗 component at the exact size, because a narrow 犭 or a dense 豸 can lose its shape in a small tattoo, seal or engraved mark.

The character names the animal. It does not carry a zodiac seat, a guaranteed lucky meaning or a standard personal-name meaning. If the intended message is “cat lover,” “pet memorial” or “lucky cat,” write the complete phrase or show the full figure and have a fluent reader review the final wording.

Questions about this page

What does 猫 mean in Chinese?

猫 (māo) means cat. The traditional form is 貓, built on the 豸 radical; simplified 猫 uses 犭.

Why is there no Year of the Cat?

The twelve-animal cycle was fixed before the cat was a common household animal in China. A folk story also explains the absence: the rat failed to wake the cat, or pushed it from the ox’s back during the race. The story is folklore, not a calendar rule.

Which zodiac has a cat?

The Vietnamese zodiac replaces the Rabbit with the Cat, so the fourth sign is the Year of the Cat. The other eleven animals match the Chinese cycle.

What does 猫鼠 mean?

猫鼠 (cat and mouse) is the standard phrase for two parties in permanent opposition, drawn from the story of how the cat lost its zodiac place.

Is 猫 a good tattoo character?

Yes, if the subject is the animal. It has a clear left-right structure and holds up at small sizes. It cannot carry a zodiac sign or a birth year.

Can 猫 be used in a Chinese name?

No. 猫 is an animal word, so it is used for pets and nicknames rather than given names. 咪咪 and 猫咪 are common affectionate forms.

Is 猫 pronounced māo or máo?

猫 is māo with a high-level first tone. 毛 is máo with a second tone and means hair, fur or wool. They are different characters, not spelling variants.

What is the difference between 猫 and 貓?

猫 is the simplified form and 貓 is the traditional form. Both mean cat and both are read māo in Mandarin; the difference is the writing system and the shape of the character.

Is 猫咪 one word?

猫咪 is an affectionate word for a cat, especially a pet. 小猫 means kitten or small cat, and 猫猫 is a cute reduplicated form used mainly in informal speech and writing.

How do you say meow in Chinese?

喵 (miāo) is the onomatopoeic word for meow, and 喵喵 repeats the sound. 猫 remains the ordinary noun for the animal.

Is there a Year of the Cat in the Chinese zodiac?

No. The standard Chinese twelve-animal cycle does not include the cat. The Vietnamese zodiac is commonly described as replacing the rabbit with the cat in the fourth position.

What does 三脚猫 mean?

三脚猫 literally means three-legged cat, but the idiom describes a person with scattered, superficial skills rather than a cat. It is usually not a compliment.

Is 招财猫 a Chinese zodiac symbol?

No. 招财猫 is the Chinese name for a beckoning lucky-cat figure widely associated with Japan. It is not one of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, and the single character 猫 does not itself mean wealth or luck.

Can 猫 be used as a Chinese name?

It is not a conventional given name because it is an animal noun. It works as a pet name, nickname or informal screen name; 咪咪, 猫咪 and 喵喵 are common affectionate forms.

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