Neko
/ˈnɛk.oʊ/noun
A Japanese loanword meaning “cat,” used in English especially in anime, manga, gaming, and internet culture.
Did you know?The ultimate origin of Japanese neko remains uncertain, so claims that it literally means a supernatural or magical cat are modern inventions rather than established etymology.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-8th Century
Proto-Japonic
*neko
“Reconstructed ancestral form associated with the Japanese word for cat; the deeper origin is uncertain.”
8th Century
Old Japanese
neko
“Cat; attested in early Japanese textual tradition.”
8th–12th Century
Japanese
neko
“Domestic cat.”
19th–20th Century
Japanese
猫 (neko)
“Cat; the modern Japanese written form uses the character 猫.”
20th–21st Century
English
neko
“A Japanese loanword for cat, particularly common in anime and internet subcultures.”