English: meow

한국어: 야옹

العربية: مياو

Čeština: mňau

简体中文: 喵

繁體中文: 喵

Dansk: mjav

Nederlands: miauw

Suomi: miau

Français: miaou

Deutsch: miau

Ελληνικά: νιάου

עברית: מיאו

हिन्दी: म्याऊँ

Magyar: nyáv

Bahasa Indonesia: meong

Italiano: miao

日本語: にゃー

Norsk: mjau

Polski: miau

Português: miau

Română: miau

Русский: мяу

Slovenčina: mňau

Español: miau

Svenska: mjau

ไทย: เมี้ยว

Türkçe: miyav

Українська: няв

Tiếng Việt: meo

The actual sounds cats make are quite similar around the world, but people write them differently depending on the sounds and writing systems of their language.

English speakers hear “meow,” Japanese speakers hear “にゃー (nyaa),” and Chinese speakers hear “喵 (miāo).”

The cat is making the same sound, but people interpret and represent it through the lens of their own language. 😺

Of course, real cats don’t just say “meow.”

Our cats, Grang and Alpha, make all kinds of sounds too—soft “woong” noises, long “meooow”s, purring sounds, chirps, and many others.

People simply choose the most recognizable cat sound and represent it in their own language. 😺