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🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Tokunoshima)

にゃう・にゃふ【猫】

nyau · nyafu

Pronunciation: [nja(ɸ)u]

Definition

Noun

  1. Cat (Felidae); domestic cat; wildcat; Iriomote cat

Etymology

Attested as early as in the Konkoukenshuu (混効験集, 1711), "Words of the Royal Palace", under the spelling まや maya (p. 11). Cognate to Amami まや maya and まやー mayaa; Miyako まよ mayo and まゆ mayu; Yaeyama まゆ mayu; and Yonaguni まーゆ maayu "cat". Possibly of onomatopoeic origin. Cf. みゃーみゃー myaamyaa or みゃうみゃう myaumyau "meow"; via Chinese 【貓・猫】 "cat" (cf. Cantonese maau1, mao1 and mao2; Mandarin māo; Min Nan niau; Siyan Hakka meu5; Hailu Hakka ngiau5; Vietnamese miêu, mèo; Korean myo; Japanese on-reading myou and byou).

意味:ねこ【猫】、イリオモテヤマネコ【西表山猫】

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