Why does the Chinese word for "Cat" sound like
Meow?!

The Real Meaning

In Mandarin Chinese, the character (pronounced as māo) actually translates to Cat.

The Funny Part

Cats say 'meow' and the Chinese word for cat IS 'māo'. Coincidence? We think not.

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Nice Teacher says...

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猫 means cat! māo — first tone, high and flat. It even sounds like 'meow'! How cute is that?