Here's how to speak to your cat in Japanese. Or perhaps here is how to sound like a Japanese cat. Either way, dogs bark and rabbits ribbit a bit differently in Japanese.
ワンワン
wan wan
(woof, bark)
NOTE : to the Japanese, wan and ONE (the number 1) are the same pronunciation. There is a chain of steak houses in Japan called "SUTEKI WAN" (Steak One). Its mascot is a dog.
ニャーニャー
nya– nya-
(meow)
ゲロゲロ
gero gero
(ribbit)
NOTE: Click here to hear the traditional Japanese song, KAERU NO UTA GA (The Frog’s Song), among other songs.
モーモー
mo- mo-
(Moo)
NOTE : One way to remember ushi is to think of it sounding like oishi (delicious). But be careful with your pronunciation. I had a friend a few years back who, at the restaurant Mister Donuts, pointed to her donut and said to an astonished Japanese waitress, “KORE WA USHI DESU! USHI DESU!” [This is a cow! this is a cow, I tell ya!]
カーカー
ka- ka-
NOTE : Japanese crows are huge! “Scarecrow” in Japanese is kakashi.
メーメー
me- me-
(baa baa)
コケコッコー
kokekokko-
(Cock-a-doodle-doo)
ブーブー
bu- bu-
(oink)
ガーガー
ga– ga–
(quack)
NOTE : Japanese distinguishes between the white ducks (ahiru) and the other colored ducks (kamo). Despite their different names they still speak the same GA- GA- language.
ウキー
uki–
ガオー
gao-
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