A feline predator that hunts mice and rats. A cat, especially a domestic cat or kitten. Animal radical 犭 beside 苗 (seedlings): a four-legged prowler moving through crops.
The left side 犭 is the animal radical, the same piece you see in 狗 (dog). The right side 苗 (miáo, 'seedling') does nothing but hint at the māo sound. Category on the left, sound on the right.
个 is the lazy default counter. Animals take 只, so it's 一只猫.
Doubling a noun sounds like baby talk. 小猫 is what normal people say.
They share a shape, not a meaning. 苗 inside 猫 is a sound hint only.
These two look like cousins, but they live in different worlds. 猫 has the animal claw radical 犭 (a cat is a furry animal). 苗 has the grass radical 艹 (green sprouts growing in a field 田). On its own 苗 means 'seedling' — the character has nothing to do with cats. Inside 猫 it only nudges you toward the māo sound, and the nudge is rough (miáo vs māo), which is normal for these old sound clues. Same trick in 狗, 妈 and 吗, all HSK 1 words you already know.
| Character | Radical | Meaning | What the right side does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 猫 | 犭 animal claw | cat | 苗 hints at the māo sound |
| 苗 | 艹 grass | seedling | 田 is the field it grows in |
| 狗 | 犭 animal claw | dog | right side hints at gǒu |
| 妈 | 女 woman | mom | 马 hints at mā |
No. Animals get counted with 只, so it's 一只猫.
个 is the catch-all counter for people and random objects, but animals take 只. One cat is 一只猫, and the same 只 shows up for 狗. Chinese speakers will still understand 一个猫, but it sounds like a tourist reading straight off a phrasebook. Once 只 clicks, every animal word becomes easy: just swap the noun.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| One cat | 一只猫 | 一个猫 |
| One dog | 一只狗 | 一个狗 |
| One person | 一个人 | 一只人 |
小猫 is the everyday word. 猫猫 is cutesy pet talk.
Doubling a noun in Chinese adds warmth or baby talk, like saying 'doggy' instead of 'dog' in English. So when you tell a friend you saw a cat outside, you say 小猫, not 猫猫. Save 猫猫 for cooing at your own pet or for a caption on social media. Nobody writes 一只猫猫 in a news story.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Normal talk | 一只小猫 | 一只猫猫 |
| Cooing at your own pet | 猫猫，过来 | 小猫，过来 |
| News or formal writing | 猫 | 猫猫 |
A young man helps an old man look for his cat. But the real surprise is why the old man wanted to find the cat. Read on to learn about kindness and friendship.
一天，白天明在学校大门口前边看见有人写了 找猫的 话：“我想找一只 大白猫 。
我的 大白猫 叫‘大白'。
谁看见我的 大白猫 大白，请打电话给三号房间。”
白天明天天在学校里找 大白猫 。
找了一个月，白天明也没有看见那只 大白猫 。
白天明看见老先生的家里，有一只很大很白的 大猫 。
白天明问：“老先生，您家里有 大白猫 ，您怎么还要找 大白猫 呢？”
我写了 找猫的 话，天天有人打电话问我‘老先生， 猫 找到了吗’。
我们不找 猫 了。”
This is a short dialogue about a shopping trip. A woman buys many things, including food, drinks, furniture, and pet food, while her boyfriend reminds her not to overspend.
我买了鸡蛋、面包、牛奶，还有一些水果，这些都是你和我的吃的和喝的东西，还有给我们的 小猫 和小狗吃的东西。
This playful HSK 1 poem twists words you already know and asks how an hour can be small. Read it aloud and laugh; a fun way to practice Chinese.
小猫 小的 猫 ，小狗小的狗，小学不很小，小时怎么小？
This playful poem helps you count and practice vocabulary about clothes, students, and pets. Enjoy the rhythm while learning new words.
买了五只小 猫 ，七百零五块钱。
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