Last Updated on 9 December 2025 by Vanessa
When traveling across different countries, it’s nice to not only say “hello” to the local people in their own language but also to the indigenous feline residents.
Since I’m constantly trying to meet as many cats as I can while traveling, I quickly picked up how to say “meow” in different languages.
So if you’re looking to up your cat language skills and learn how to say “meow” in Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, and so on, you’ve come to the right place!
By the end of this post, you’ll be a world-wise cat connoisseur, capable of communicating with cats from around the world.
It’s time to embrace your inner feline and start meowing like a local.
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How to say meow in different languages?
1 French: Miaou!
- Where to Say It: France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Guinea, Gabon, Mauritius.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
2 German: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Belgium.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
3 Italian: Miao!
- Where to Say It: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, Malta.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
4 Spanish: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Honduras, Paraguay, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Panama, Uruguay, and more.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
5 Portuguese: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Macau.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
6 Russian: Мяу! (M’yau!)
- Where to Say It: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
7 Chinese (Mandarin): 喵! (Miāo!)
8 Japanese: にゃん！ (Nyan!)
- Where to Say It: Japan.
- How to Pronounce it: nee-ahn
9 Korean: 야옹! (Yaong!)
- Where to Say It: South Korea, North Korea.
- How to Pronounce it: yah-ong
10 Arabic: مياو! (Miau!)
- Where to Say It: Arab-speaking countries and communities.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
11 Turkish: Miyav!
- Where to Say It: Turkey, Cyprus, Azerbaijan.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-yav
12 Dutch: Miauw!
- Where to Say It: Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
13 Scottish Gaelic: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Scotland, Gaelic-speaking communities.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
14 Greek: Μιάου! (Miáou!)
15 Romanian: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Romania, Moldova.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
16 Norwegian: Mjau!
- Where to Say It: Norway.
- How to Pronounce it: my-ow
17 Swedish: Mjau!
- Where to Say It: Sweden.
- How to Pronounce it: my-ow
18 Hungarian: Nyávog!
- Where to Say It: Hungary.
- How to Pronounce it: nyah-vohg
19 Danish: Mjav!
- Where to Say It: Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yav
20 Finnish: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Finland.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
21 Polish: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Poland.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
22 Hindi: म्याऊं! (Myaun!)
- Where to Say It: India, Nepal, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius.
- How to Pronounce it: mya-oon
23 Bengali: মিউ! (Miu!)
- Where to Say It: Bangladesh, India (West Bengal, Tripura).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-oo
24 Urdu: میاو! (Miaw!)
- Where to Say It: Pakistan, India, among Urdu speakers.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
25 Punjabi: ਮਿਆਊਂ! (Miaun!)
- Where to Say It: Punjab region (India and Pakistan), Punjabi-speaking communities.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-aun
26 Tamil: மியாவ்! (Miyav!)
- Where to Say It: Tamil Nadu (India), Sri Lanka, Tamil-speaking communities.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-yav
27 Telugu: మియావ్! (Miyav!)
- Where to Say It: Andhra Pradesh (India), Telugu-speaking communities.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-yav
28 Marathi: म्याऊ! (Myau!)
- Where to Say It: Maharashtra (India), Marathi-speaking communities.
- How to Pronounce it: mya-oo
29 Malayalam: മിയാവ്! (Miyav!)
- Where to Say It: Kerala (India), Malayalam-speaking communities.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-yav
30 Kannada: ಮಿಯಾವ್! (Miyav!)
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- Where to Say It: Karnataka (India), Kannada-speaking communities.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-yav
31 Czech: Mňau!
- Where to Say It: Czech Republic.
- How to Pronounce it: m-nyow
32 Slovak: Mňau!
- Where to Say It: Slovakia.
- How to Pronounce it: m-nyow
33 Ukrainian: Мяу! (Myau!)
- Where to Say It: Ukraine.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
34 Hebrew: מיאו! (Miao!)
- Where to Say It: Israel, Hebrew-speaking communities.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
35 Thai: เหมียว! (Meeow!)
- Where to Say It: Thailand.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
36 Indonesian: Meong!
- Where to Say It: Indonesia.
- How to Pronounce it: meh-ong
37 Malay: Meow!
- Where to Say It: Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
38 Catalan: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Catalonia (Spain), Balearic Islands, Valencia (Spain), Andorra.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
39 Icelandic: Mjá!
- Where to Say It: Iceland.
- How to Pronounce it: myah
40 Vietnamese: Meo meo!
- Where to Say It: Vietnam.
- How to Pronounce it: meh-oh meh-oh
41 Lithuanian: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Lithuania.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
42 Latvian: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Latvia.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
43 Estonian: Mjäu!
- Where to Say It: Estonia.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
44 Slovenian: Mjav!
- Where to Say It: Slovenia.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yav
45 Croatian: Mijau!
- Where to Say It: Croatia.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-yow
46 Serbian: Mjau!
- Where to Say It: Serbia.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
47 Bosnian: Mjau!
- Where to Say It: Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
48 Macedonian: Мјау! (Mjau!)
- Where to Say It: North Macedonia.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
49 Albanian: Mjal!
- Where to Say It: Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia.
- How to Pronounce it: myal
50 Georgian: მიაუ! (Miau!)
- Where to Say It: Georgia.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
51 Uzbek: Myau!
- Where to Say It: Uzbekistan.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
52 Kazakh: Мяу! (Myau!)
- Where to Say It: Kazakhstan.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
53 Kyrgyz: Мяу! (Myau!)
- Where to Say It: Kyrgyzstan.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
54 Tajik: Мяу! (Myau!)
- Where to Say It: Tajikistan.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
55 Turkmen: Myaw!
- Where to Say It: Turkmenistan.
- How to Pronounce it: my-ow
56 Mongolian: мяу! (Myau!)
- Where to Say It: Mongolia.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
57 Pashto: میاو! (Miaw!)
- Where to Say It: Afghanistan, Pakistan.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
58 Burmese: မြောင်း! (Mroang!)
- Where to Say It: Myanmar (Burma).
- How to Pronounce it: mrohng
59 Lao: ມີເຢັດ! (Miayeut!)
- Where to Say It: Laos.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-yowt
60 Khmer: ម៉េច! (Meach!)
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- Where to Say It: Cambodia.
- How to Pronounce it: meh-ahch
61 Filipino (Tagalog): Meow!
- Where to Say It: Philippines.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
62 Malay: Meow!
- Where to Say It: Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
63 Icelandic: Mjá!
- Where to Say It: Iceland.
- How to Pronounce it: myah
64 Swahili: Nyau!
- Where to Say It: East Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda.
- How to Pronounce it: n-yow
65 Afrikaans: Miaauw!
- Where to Say It: South Africa, Namibia.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
66 Zulu: Ngiyavuma!
- Where to Say It: South Africa.
- How to Pronounce it: ng-ee-yah-voo-ma
67 Xhosa: Ngiyavuma!
- Where to Say It: South Africa.
- How to Pronounce it: ng-ee-yah-voo-ma
68 Setswana: Meow!
- Where to Say It: Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
69 Amharic: ማው! (Maw!)
- Where to Say It: Ethiopia.
- How to Pronounce it: mah-oo
70 Somali: Meow!
- Where to Say It: Somalia.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
71 Oromo: Meow!
- Where to Say It: Ethiopia, Kenya.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
72 Tigrinya: ማው! (Maw!)
- Where to Say It: Eritrea, Ethiopia.
- How to Pronounce it: mah-oo
73 Wolof: Meow!
- Where to Say It: Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
74 Azerbaijani: Myau!
- Where to Say It: Azerbaijan.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
75 Maltese: Meaw!
- Where to Say It: Malta.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
76 Galician: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Galicia (Spain).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
77 Basque: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Basque Country (Spain and France).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
78 Aragonese: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Aragon (Spain).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
79 Asturian: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Asturias (Spain).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
80 Mirandese: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Miranda do Douro (Portugal).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
81 Occitan: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Occitania (France, Spain, Italy, Monaco).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
82 Corsican: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Corsica (France).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
83 Sardinian: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Sardinia (Italy).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
84 Sicilian: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Sicily (Italy).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
85 Tibetan: Myau!
- Where to Say It: Tibet (China), Tibetan communities.
- How to Pronounce it: m-yow
86 Hausa: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, West Africa.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
87 Yoruba: Miaw!
- Where to Say It: Nigeria, Benin, Togo.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
88 Igbo: Meow!
- Where to Say It: Nigeria.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
89 Mapudungun: Meow!
- Where to Say It: Chile, Mapuche communities.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
90 Nepali: मिउ! (Miu!)
- Where to Say It: Nepal.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-oo
91 Hawaiian: Meow!
- Where to Say It: Hawaii (USA).
- How to Pronounce it: meow
92 Maori: Meow!
- Where to Say It: New Zealand, Maori communities.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
93 Inuktitut: Meow!
- Where to Say It: Arctic regions, Inuit communities.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
94 Cherokee: ᎩᎯ! (Gihiya!)
- Where to Say It: Cherokee Nation (USA).
- How to Pronounce it: gee-hee-yah
- Where to Say It: Navajo Nation (USA).
- How to Pronounce it: meow
96 Quechua: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Andean region (South America).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
97 Guarani: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Paraguay, Guarani communities.
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
98 Mallorquí: Miau!
- Where to Say It: Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain).
- How to Pronounce it: mee-ow
99 Bislama: Meow!
- Where to Say It: Vanuatu.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
100 Tetum: Meow!
- Where to Say It: East Timor.
- How to Pronounce it: meow
Where does the word meow come from?
The word “meow” is an onomatopoeic term that imitates the sound that cats make.
Onomatopoeia refers to words that mimic or resemble the natural sounds associated with the objects or actions they describe.
In the case of “meow,” it’s intended to replicate the sound of a cat’s vocalization, particularly the sound that domestic cats make to communicate with humans and other animals.
The term “meow” itself is believed to have originated from Middle English.
It has been used for centuries to represent the sound of a cat’s vocalization and has remained relatively consistent in its pronunciation and representation across different languages and cultures.
Do cats meow differently in other countries?
Cats use meowing as a form of communication primarily with humans, rather than with other cats.
While the basic meow sound is consistent across different regions and countries, there are slight variations in the frequency, tone, and intensity of meows.
However, it’s important to note that cats do not have distinct “accents” or variations in meowing that are directly tied to different countries or languages, as humans do with spoken languages.
Meowing is a more universal form of communication for cats, and they generally use it to express various needs and emotions, such as hunger, greetings, attention-seeking, or discomfort.
Conclusion: Meow in different languages
While we’ve explored the word “meow” in 100 languages, it’s worth noting that there are around 7,000 languages spoken worldwide. These languages are spread across different regions and have varying levels of speakers. Some languages have millions of speakers, while others have only a handful. It’s important to note that languages can become endangered or extinct over time, while new languages can also emerge through various linguistic and social processes.
Loved this list? Don’t miss our series of foreign cat names—you’ll want to rename your cat immediately!
Have a meow-tastic day!
One Response
Hello! Can you add Ukrainian version?
The cats noise in Ukrainian is actually nyaw or няв (in Cyrillic).
From Нявкати (nyawkaty): to meow, meowing.
Thank you!