Do you want to know how to say “cat” in different languages?
You’ve come to the right place!
Saying “cat” in various languages is a skill that is probably more fun than practical. Still, it’s something I’ve been acquiring naturally since I could speak – mainly picking the words up from the many foreign-language films I watch.
Learning a handful of cat-related words can be a breeze, even if language learning isn’t your strong suit. It’s also a fun way to forge new connections swiftly.
This guide is your ticket to expanding your global circle of (feline) friends by mastering the art of saying “cat” in different languages. While I can’t possibly cover every dialect – given the staggering count of 7000 recognized languages worldwide – I have compiled “cat” in 100 languages, ensuring you’re well-equipped for communication in nearly every nation.
Connect with your inner cat lover with these 100 translations of the word “cat.
How to say “cat” in different languages?
1 French: Chat
Where to Say It: France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg.
How to Pronounce It: sha
2 German: Katze
Where to Say It: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Belgium.
How to Pronounce It: Kaht-suh
3 Spanish: Gato
Where to Say It: Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Chile.
How to Pronounce It: gah-toh
4 Italian: Gatto
Where to Say It: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City.
How to Pronounce It: gaht-toh
5 Portuguese: Gato
Where to Say It: Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde.
How to Pronounce It: gah-too
6 Chinese (Mandarin): Māo (猫)
Where to Say It: China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia.
How to Pronounce It: mao (rhymes with “cow”)
7 Japanese: Neko (猫)
Where to Say It: Japan.
How to Pronounce It: neh-koh
8 Russian: Кошка (koshka)
Where to Say It: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan.
How to Pronounce It: kohsh-kah
9 Korean: 고양이 (goyangi)
Where to Say It: South Korea, North Korea.
How to Pronounce It: goh-yahn-ghee
10 Arabic: قط (qitt)
Where to Say It: Arab-speaking countries.
How to Pronounce It: kut
11 Hindi: बिल्ली (billee)
Where to Say It: India, Nepal.
How to Pronounce It: bil-lee
12 Turkish: Kedi
Where to Say It: Turkey.
How to Pronounce It: keh-dee
13 Dutch: Kat
Where to Say It: Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname.
How to Pronounce It: kaht
14 Swedish: Katt
Where to Say It: Sweden.
How to Pronounce It: kaht
15 Norwegian: Katt
Where to Say It: Norway.
How to Pronounce It: kaht
16 Danish: Kat
Where to Say It: Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands.
How to Pronounce It: kaht
17 Finnish: Kissa
Where to Say It: Finland.
How to Pronounce It: kees-sah
18 Greek: Γάτα (gata)
Where to Say It: Greece, Cyprus.
How to Pronounce It: gah-tah
19 Hebrew: חתול (chatul)
Where to Say It: Israel.
How to Pronounce It: kha-too-l
20 Polish: Kot
Where to Say It: Poland.
How to Pronounce It: koht
21 Thai: แมว (maeo)
Where to Say It: Thailand.
How to Pronounce It: mae-ow
22 Ukrainian: Кіт (kit)
Where to Say It: Ukraine.
How to Pronounce It: keet
23 Romanian: Pisică
Where to Say It: Romania, Moldova.
How to Pronounce It: pee-see-kuh
24 Hungarian: Macska
Where to Say It: Hungary.
How to Pronounce It: mahtch-kah
25 Czech: Kočka
Where to Say It: Czech Republic.
How to Pronounce It: kohch-kah
26 Slovak: Mačka
Where to Say It: Slovakia.
How to Pronounce It: mahtch-kah
27 Bulgarian: Котка (kotka)
Where to Say It: Bulgaria.
How to Pronounce It: koht-kah
28 Vietnamese: Mèo
Where to Say It: Vietnam.
How to Pronounce It: meh-oh
29 Indonesian: Kucing
Where to Say It: Indonesia.
How to Pronounce It: koo-cheeng
30 Malay: Kucing
Where to Say It: Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia.
How to Pronounce It: koo-cheeng
31 Armenian: կատու (katu)
Where to Say It: Armenia.
How to Pronounce It: kah-tooh
32 Azerbaijani: pişik
Where to Say It: Azerbaijan.
How to Pronounce It: pee-sheek
33 Kazakh: мысық (mysyq)
Where to Say It: Kazakhstan.
How to Pronounce It: mih-sihk
34 Uzbek: mushuk
Where to Say It: Uzbekistan.
How to Pronounce It: moo-shook
35 Turkmen: mushuk
Where to Say It: Turkmenistan.
How to Pronounce It: moo-shook
36 Kyrgyz: мышык (myshyk)
Where to Say It: Kyrgyzstan.
How to Pronounce It: mih-shuhk
37 Tajik: мушук (mušuk)
Where to Say It: Tajikistan.
How to Pronounce It: moo-shook
38 Pashto: پلټونه (paltuna)
Where to Say It: Afghanistan, Pakistan.
How to Pronounce It: pahl-too-nah
39 Kurdish: kêt
Where to Say It: Kurdistan region (Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria).
How to Pronounce It: kate
40 Nepali: बिरालो (birālō)
Where to Say It: Nepal.
How to Pronounce It: bee-rah-loh
41 Sinhala: බළලා (balalā)
Where to Say It: Sri Lanka.
How to Pronounce It: bah-lah-lah
42 Lao: ແມ່ (mae)
Where to Say It: Laos.
How to Pronounce It: may
43 Khmer: ឆ្មា (chhmaa)
Where to Say It: Cambodia.
How to Pronounce It: chh-mah
44 Burmese: ကြား (kra:)
Where to Say It: Myanmar (Burma).
How to Pronounce It: krah
45 Malayalam: പൂച്ച (poocha)
Where to Say It: Kerala (India), Malayalam-speaking regions.
How to Pronounce It: poo-chuh
46 Kannada: ಬೆಕ್ಕು (bekku)
Where to Say It: Karnataka (India).
How to Pronounce It: behk-koo
47 Telugu: పిల్లి (pilli)
Where to Say It: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana (India).
How to Pronounce It: pil-lee
48 Tamil: பூனை (poonai)
Where to Say It: Tamil Nadu (India), Sri Lanka, Singapore.
How to Pronounce It: poo-nye
49 Urdu: بلی (billi)
Where to Say It: Pakistan, India.
How to Pronounce It: billee
50 Punjabi: ਬਿੱਲੀ (billi)
Where to Say It: Punjab region (India, Pakistan).
How to Pronounce It: billee
51 Hindi: बिल्ली (billee)
Where to Say It: India, Nepal.
How to Pronounce It: bil-lee
52 Gujarati: બિલાડી (biladi)
Where to Say It: Gujarat (India).
How to Pronounce It: bee-lah-dee
53 Bengali: বিড়াল (biṛāl)
Where to Say It: Bangladesh, West Bengal (India).
How to Pronounce It: bee-rrahl
54 Assamese: মাইঁ (maiṁ)
Where to Say It: Assam (India).
How to Pronounce It: mya-ee
55 Marathi: मांजर (māñjar)
Where to Say It: Maharashtra (India).
How to Pronounce It: maa-nyar
56 Konkani: मांजर (māñjar)
Where to Say It: Goa (India), Konkani-speaking regions.
How to Pronounce It: maa-nyar
57 Odia: ବିରା (bira)
Where to Say It: Odisha (India).
How to Pronounce It: bee-rah
58 Zulu: Ikati
Where to Say It: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Eswatini.
How to Pronounce It: ee-kah-tee
59 Xhosa: Icatyana
Where to Say It: South Africa.
How to Pronounce It: ih-cah-tyah-nah
60 Setswana: Nkuku
Where to Say It: Botswana, South Africa.
How to Pronounce It: n-koo-koo
61 Amharic: ድንግል (dingil)
Where to Say It: Ethiopia.
How to Pronounce It: deen-gil
62 Somali: bisad
Where to Say It: Somalia, Somaliland.
How to Pronounce It: bee-sahd
63 Tigrinya: ድንግል (dingil)
Where to Say It: Eritrea, Tigray (Ethiopia).
How to Pronounce It: deen-gil
64 Oromo: biraa
Where to Say It: Ethiopia, Kenya.
How to Pronounce It: bee-rah
65 Wolof: xale
Where to Say It: Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania.
How to Pronounce It: khah-leh
66 Macedonian: Мачка (mačka)
Where to Say It: North Macedonia.
How to Pronounce It: mahtch-kah
67 Maltese: qattus
Where to Say It: Malta.
How to Pronounce It: kaht-toos
68 Galician: Gato
Where to Say It: Galicia (Spain).
How to Pronounce It: gah-to
69 Basque: Katu
Where to Say It: Basque Country (Spain, France).
How to Pronounce It: kah-too
70 Aragonese: Gato
Where to Say It: Aragon (Spain).
How to Pronounce It: gah-to
71 Asturian: Gatu
Where to Say It: Asturias (Spain).
How to Pronounce It: gaht-oo
72 Mirandese: Gato
Where to Say It: Miranda do Douro (Portugal).
How to Pronounce It: gah-to
73 Occitan: Gat
Where to Say It: Occitania (France, Spain, Italy).
How to Pronounce It: gaht
74 Corsican: Gattu
Where to Say It: Corsica (France).
How to Pronounce It: gaht-too
75 Mallorqui (Majorcan): Gat
Where to Say It: Mallorca (Spain).
How to Pronounce It: gaht
76 Sardinian: Gattu
Where to Say It: Sardinia (Italy).
How to Pronounce It: gaht-too
77 Sicilian: Gatu
Where to Say It: Sicily (Italy).
How to Pronounce It: gaht-oo
78 Tibetan: སེང་ (seng)
Where to Say It: Tibet, Himalayan regions.
How to Pronounce It: sang
79 Hausa: kyan kaji
Where to Say It: West Africa (Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, etc.).
How to Pronounce It: kyahn kah-jee
80 Yoruba: Ẹranko
Where to Say It: Nigeria, Benin, Togo.
How to Pronounce It: eh-rahn-koh
81 Igbo: Ụdị
Where to Say It: Nigeria.
How to Pronounce It: oo-dee
82 Nepali: बिरालो (birālō)
Where to Say It: Nepal.
How to Pronounce It: bee-rah-loh
83 Mapudungun: Mank’apu
Where to Say It: Chile, Argentina.
How to Pronounce It: mahn-kah-poo
84 Maori: Ngeru
Where to Say It: New Zealand.
How to Pronounce It: ngeh-roo
85 Hawaiian: Popoki
Where to Say It: Hawaii (USA).
How to Pronounce It: poh-poh-kee
86 Inuktitut: ᓂᐅᓱᒃ (niusuk)
Where to Say It: Arctic regions (Canada, Greenland).
How to Pronounce It: nee-oo-sook
87 Cherokee: ᎠᎩᏍᏗ (agisdvsdi)
Where to Say It: Cherokee Nation (USA).
How to Pronounce It: ah-gee-sdvs-dee
88 Navajo: náshdóítsoh
Where to Say It: Navajo Nation (USA).
How to Pronounce It: nahsh-doh-eet-soh
89 Quechua: Mishi
Where to Say It: Andes region (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador).
How to Pronounce It: mee-shee
90 Guarani: Mbarakaja
Where to Say It: Paraguay.
How to Pronounce It: mba-ra-kah-ha
91 Bislama: Katen
Where to Say It: Vanuatu.
How to Pronounce It: ka-ten
92 Tetum: Katre
Where to Say It: Timor-Leste.
How to Pronounce It: ka-tray
93 Tonga: pusi
Where to Say It: Tonga.
How to Pronounce It: poo-see
94 Welsh: Cath
Where to Say It: Wales.
How to Pronounce It: kath
95 Serbian: Мачка (mačka)
Where to Say It: Serbia, Montenegro.
How to Pronounce It: mahtch-kah
96 Icelandic: Köttur
Where to Say It: Iceland.
How to Pronounce It: keh-tuhr
97 Serbian: Мачка (mačka)
Where to Say It: Serbia, Montenegro.
How to Pronounce It: mahtch-kah
98 Malagasy: Saka
Where to Say It: Madagascar.
How to Pronounce It: sah-kah
99 Filipino (Tagalog): Pusa
Where to Say It: Philippines.
How to Pronounce It: poo-sah
100 Albanian: Mace
Where to Say It: Albania, Kosovo.
How to Pronounce It: mah-tseh
Conclusion: saying “cat” in different languages
So now you are equipped to say the word “cat” in 100 different languages. Which of these translations will you be learning first?
If you enjoyed this feline language guide, explore our companion pieces, Mastering the Art of Meow: How to Say Meow in 100 Different Languages and How to Say Whiskers in 100 Different Languages.
Spread the linguistic charm of felines by sharing this comprehensive list with your cat-loving friends and on social media.
Read next: Hollywood’s Furriest Star: The Untold Story of Avalon, the Cat Who Stole Hearts On and Off the Screen!
Avalon by Vanessa Morgan is a touching memoir about the unique bond between the author and her cat, Avalon, a neurotic yet lovable Turkish Van. Beyond his quirky personality, Avalon was a feline movie star featured in several films. This humorous and heartwarming tale explores love, loyalty, and the lessons a pet can teach us, making it a must-read for animal lovers and anyone who treasures stories of extraordinary companionship. Available in English and French.
