15 words for “kitten” in different languages that will make your heart explode
Everything about kittens is cute. Their fluffy faces, little legs, huge eyes, tiny squeaks for meows — they are just so innocent and pure! It’s almost hard to imagine kittens getting much cuter than they already are. But have you heard the word “kitten” in any other language than English? If you haven’t, you may want to take a deep breath and pray that your heart won’t give out. Kittens are about to get a whole lot cuter.
1. Gatito — Spanish
A little gato! Did you know that a gatito ran for mayor of Mexico City in 2013? According to BuzzFeed, his name was Morris.
2. Chaton — French
As one great chaton said, “Ladies do not start fights, but they can finish them!”
3. Xiǎo māo (小猫) — Mandarin (Chinese)
Māo means cat and xiǎo means little! In the ancient Chinese Book of Rites, a story about a cat goddess named Li Shou teaches how humans came to inherit the Earth and how they must responsibly rule over the creatures within it.
4. Kotě — Czech
This word is pronounced “kote-ye” in English. Another Czech word for a female kitten is kočička. The č is pronounced “ch.”
5. Kätzchen — German
This word kind of sounds like the noise kittens make when they sneeze. Gesundheit, kätzchen!
6. Kassipoeg — Estonian
Kassipoeg is a word that feels like it needs song built around it, don’t you think? In medieval times, Estonians in the capital city of Tallinn supposedly used cats to ward off the demons they thought resided in the bottom of the city well. Nowadays, the stray cats of Tallinn are kept well fed by generous members of society.
7. Kuting — Tagalog (Filipino)
More like, “cute-ing,” amiright?
8. Kettlingur — Icelandic
According to Deadline, Iceland has a live web show called Keeping Up With The Kattarshians which follows the day-to-day lives of four rescue kittens, Guoni, Stubbur, Briet and Ronja. The show was made to promote cat adoption and is funded by the Icelandic Cat Protection Society. The kittens live in a large dollhouse riddled with cameras so viewers can see what they’re up to 24/7. Now that’s our kind of reality TV.
9. Koneko (子猫) — Japanese
Ironically, in 2013 the Scottish Fold kitten won the top slot for the best loved cat in Japan. Japan’s own Japanese Bobtail came in 10th in the ranking! Side note: There’s such thing as “Cat Island” in Japan, and yes, it’s covered in cats.
10. Katjie — Afrikaans
In South Africa there are four breeds of wild cats — the African Wild Cat, the Black-Footed Cat, the Caracal, and the Serval.
11. Yavru kedi — Turkish
According to the Smithsonian Magazine website, in 2004, archeologists unearthed an almost 10,000-year-old cat skeleton buried alongside a human on the island of Cyprus. This finding led historians to believe that domestication of cats occurred around 10,000-12,000 years ago.
Humans and cats have been buds for quite some time!
12. Anak kucing — Indonesian
Indonesian cats don’t have tails! Although there are many old wives’ tales surrounding explaining why Indonesian cats have stubby tails, it’s actually just in their genes.
13. Hirra (هِرّة) — Arabic
Come here, hirra!
14. γατάκι — Greek
Similar to Japan, Greece has its own version of Cat Island. Mykonos, an island in the Cyclades, is home to the Aegean cat, a breed only found in Greece. The majority of cats on Mykonos are strays but are cared for by the island’s residents. There’s also an organization called Mykonos Animal Welfare which was founded to care for the health and well-being of the island’s cats.
15. Billi ka bachcha (बिल्ली का बच्चा) — Hindu
The literal translation is more along the lines of “cat of infant,” but you get the idea!
