19 Words for Cat, Kitten, and Meow in Different Languages From Across the World

How to Say Cat, Kitten, and Meow in 19 Different Languages

Speaker counts throughout this list follow Ethnologue’s 2024 world-language rankings, last verified 2026.

#1 – Mandarin Chinese – 1,117 billion speakers

Cat: Māo(猫)

Kitten:  Xiǎo māo (小猫)

Meow: Miāo (喵)

#2 – Hindi – 615 million speakers

Cat: Billee (बिल्ली)

Kitten:  Billee ka bachcha (बिल्ली का बच्चा)

Meow: Miyaanu (मियांउ)

#3 – Spanish – 534 million speakers

Cat: Gato

Kitten:  Gatito

Meow: Maullar

#4 – French – 280 million speakers

Cat: Chat

Kitten:  Chaton

Meow: Miaou

#5 – Standard Arabic – 274 million speakers

Cat: Qat (قط)

Kitten: Qatah saghira ( قطه صغيرة)

Meow: Mua’ (مواء)

#6 – Bengali (Bangla) – 265 million speakers

Cat: Biṛāla (বিড়াল)

Kitten:  Biṛālachānā (বিড়ালছানা)

Meow: Mi’u (মিউ)

#7 – Russian – 258 million speakers

Cat: Kot (Кот)

Kitten:  Kotenok (котенок)

Meow: Myau  (мяу)

#8 – Portuguese – 234 million speakers

Cat: Gato

Kitten:  Gatinho

Meow: Miau

#9 – Indonesian – 199 million speakers

Cat: Kucing

Kitten:  Anak kucing

Meow: Meong

#10 – Urdu – 170 million speakers

Cat: Billi ( بلی)

Kitten:  Billi Ka Bacha (بلی کا بچہ)

Meow: Billi Ki Awaz (بلی کی آواز)

Want to know what your cat’s trying to tell you? Follow these 9 Rules Of Feline Speak and Learn To Communicate With Your Cat!

#11 – Standard German – 132 million speakers

Cat: Katze

Kitten:  Kätzchen

Meow: Miau

#12 – Japanese – 128 million speakers

Cat: Neko (ネコ)

Kitten:  Koneko (子猫)

Meow: Nyā (ニャー)

#13 – Swahili – 98 million speakers

Cat: Paka

Kitten:  Kipaka

Meow: Meow

#14 – Marathi – 95 million speakers

Cat: Mān̄jara (मांजर)

Kitten:  Mān̄jarīcē pillū (मांजरीचे पिल्लू)

Meow: Myā’ū (म्याऊ)

#15 – Telugu – 93 million speakers

Cat: Pilli (పిల్లి)

Kitten:  Pilli (పిల్లి)

Meow: Mi’av (మిఅవ్)

#16 – Western Punjabi – 93 million speakers

Cat: Bilī (ਬਿੱਲੀ)

Kitten:  Bilī dā bacā (ਬਿੱਲੀ ਦਾ ਬੱਚਾ)

Meow: Mī’āṁ (ਮੀਆਂ)

Is your cat chatting at you nonstop, but you’re not sure what she’s saying? Here are 9 Reasons Why Your Cat Keeps Meowing At You.

#17 – Wu Chinese – 82 million speakers

Cat: Māo(猫)

Kitten:  Xiǎo māo (小猫)

Meow: Miāo (喵)

#18 – Tamil – 81 million speakers

Cat: Pūṉai (பூனை)

Kitten: Pūṉaikkuṭṭi (பூனைக்குட்டி)

Meow: Miyāv (மியாவ்)

#19 – Turkish – 80 million

Cat: Kedi

Kitten: Kedi yavrusu

Meow: Miyav

Languages of Love

Want to tell your cat ‘I Love You’ in different languages, try it one of the three romance languages!

French – Je vous aime!

Italian – Ti amo!

Spanish – Te quiero!

How do cats communicate love? Here are 5 Ways Your Cat Says “I Love You.”

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say cat in Latin?

The classical Latin word for cat is feles, while cattus came into use later in the Roman era and became the root of most modern Romance-language words for cat, including the Spanish and Portuguese gato and the French chat.

How do you say kitten in Polish?

A kitten in Polish is kotek (for a male kitten) or kotka (for a female one), both diminutives of kot, the Polish word for cat.

How do you say kitten in Malayalam?

Cat in Malayalam is poocha, written പൂച്ച, and a kitten is kutti poocha (കുട്ടിപ്പൂച്ച), literally “baby cat.”

Which cat breeds are known for being especially vocal about all this meowing?

Every language on this list has its own word for the sound cats make, but some breeds are simply louder and chattier than others no matter what tongue their humans speak. If you want to meet the most talkative cats around, see our roundup of cat breeds with distinctive vocal patterns.

Why don’t I see specific cat names on this list?

This list covers the common noun “cat,” the word you’d use for any cat, not personal names people give their pets. If you’re hunting for name ideas instead of vocabulary, check out our list of clever cat names instead.

H/T: www.dailypaws.com