招き猫

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Japanese

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招き猫 (maneki neko): a beckoning cat with a motorized waving paw.
招き猫 (maneki neko): a beckoning cat figurine from the 1700s.
Kanji in this term
招 猫
まね
Grade: 5 		ねこ
Grade: S
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
招猫

Etymology

Compound of 招き (maneki, “beckoning, inviting”, continuative or stem of verb 招く (maneku, “to beckon, to invite”)) +‎ 猫 (neko, “cat”).[1][2][3][4][5]

First cited to 1893,[1] although physical examples are found earlier in the Edo period.

In Japanese culture, holding one's hand with the palm downwards and waving vertically is a gesture used to beckon someone. This is somewhat similar to an upside-down version of the beckoning gesture used in US culture. The way that cats will sometimes wave a front paw in the air is also similar to this Japanese beckoning gesture, giving rise to the iconic image of the maneki neko. This image is often used to beckon customers into a shop.

See the Wikipedia articles for more detail.

Pronunciation

Noun

招(まね)き猫(ねこ) • (maneki neko) 

  1. maneki-neko, beckoning cat (figure of a cat with one paw raised believed to bring good luck)

Descendants

  • Chinese: 招財貓／招财猫 (zhāocáimāo)
  • English: maneki neko

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “招猫”, in 日本国語大辞典‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. ^ “招き猫”, in デジタル大辞泉‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
  5. ^ Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
  6. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
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