The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games...
T.S. Eliot, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
I'm interested in how kittens are named in other languages and
cultures. If you've got the time, please fill in the form (or email
directly to kitten-survey@kitten.gen.ma.us) with information
about
- what language (and where it is spoken)
- the word for "kitten" in your language
- the word for "cat" for comparison
- the way a kitten's sound is called (in english, "meow")
- slang words for kittens in your language (for example,
Americans will use "kitty")
- anything else you'd like to share, related to kittens...
I'll include examples as people send them in; check back here later...
cross cultural kittens
- Japanese
- kitten
- koneko
- cat
- neko
- meow
- nyao
- Swedish
- kitten
- kattunge
- cat
- katt
- meow
- mjau
- slang
- kissemiss
- Korean
- kitten
- nabi
- cat
- koyangyi
- meow
- yawong
- slang
- Kwangyi
- Russian (Moldavian?)
- kitten
- kotėnor
- cat
- koshka
- meow
- mRy (where R is ya)
- Portugese
- kitten
- gatinho pron. ga-TEEN-yo
- cat
- gato pron. ga-toe
- Hebrew
- kitten
- Cha-tool-tool or Cha-chatool
- cat
- Cha-tool
Thanks to Leah Bateman, David Nilsson, Kim Yilwook, Carol Jean Rose,
Andrew Greene, and others.