🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Tokunoshima)
にゃう・にゃふ【猫】 : nyau · nyafu | define meaning
nyau · nyafu
Pronunciation: [nja(ɸ)u]
Definition
Noun
- 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).
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kanji | 猫 |
| Kana | にゃう にゃふ |
| Romanization | nyau nyafu |
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [nja(ɸ)u] |
意味：ねこ【猫】、イリオモテヤマネコ【西表山猫】
Categories:
猫
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2014, April 7). にゃう・にゃふ【猫】 : nyau · nyafu | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2024, October 7, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/3157/nyau-nyafu/.