猫 — “Cat” in Japanese

Master (高手)びょう, ねこ

Radical ⽝ · radical 94 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Cat” in Japanese is 猫, read byou, neko (びょう, ねこ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 猫 (cat).

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What does 猫 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	猫
Meaning	Cat
Readings	びょう, ねこ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	猫 (cat)

How to read 猫

猫 is read byou (びょう) or neko (ねこ) depending on the word.

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Kanji read the same way as 猫

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28