猫

A phono-semantic compound composed of:

犬 (dog; beast) — semantic component, a general animal radical used for mammals, especially quadrupeds.

苗 (sprout; seedling) — phonetic component, supplies the sound "myo / māo" and is traditionally understood as echoing the onomatopoeic quality of a cat’s cry (meow).

The character is thus widely believed to originate from sound symbolism, later stabilized into a regular phono-semantic form.

In Korean, 猫 is usually replaced by the native word 고양이; the Hanja appears mainly in academic or explanatory contexts.

Compounds:

묘과 (猫科) — the cat family (Felidae)

묘족 (猫族) — “cat people” (modern, informal)

猫 refers primarily to domestic cats, but can also include:

- wildcats

- feral or semi-wild felines, such as 삵 in Korean usage (context-dependent)

The character is neutral and descriptive, without the strong moral or symbolic weight seen in many animal-based characters.

The character 猫 is famously associated with Deng Xiaoping's (鄧小平) dictum:

흑묘백묘론 (黑猫白猫论)

“It doesn’t matter whether a cat is black or white; if it catches mice, it is a good cat.”

Here, 猫 functions as a pragmatic metaphor, symbolizing effectiveness over ideology.

Related characters:

犬 — dog

虎 — tiger

豹 — leopard

狸 — raccoon dog

獅 — lion

Among these, 猫 represents primarily a domesticated companion animal, not a symbol of power or danger.

Classical / modern usage:

猫捕鼠 — “A cat catches mice”

黑猫白猫 — “Black cat, white cat” (pragmatic effectiveness)

貓 — traditional (original) form, used in Taiwan and classical texts

猫 — simplified form, now standard in Mainland China and Japan

Both forms share the same meaning; the simplification mainly affects the right component.