……
Breakdown of neko
cat
猫
The animal that always destroys your seedlings is your cat.
Usages of neko
彼女 は 猫 が ほしく ない です。kanozyo ha neko ga hosiku nai desu.
She doesn't want a cat.
猫 も 犬 も 好き です。neko mo inu mo suki desu.
I like both cats and dogs.
猫 も 犬 も 好き です。
猫 が も 犬 が も 好き です。
neko mo inu mo suki desu.neko ga mo inu ga mo suki desu.
I like both cats and dogs.
絵 に 猫 が います。e ni neko ga imasu.
There is a cat in the picture.
この 町 に は 猫 が 多い。kono mati ni ha neko ga ooi.
There are many cats in this town.
猫 は 窓 で 日光 を 浴びる。neko ha mado de nikkou wo abiru.
The cat basks in the sunlight by the window.
子猫koneko
kitten
横 の 猫 は 黒い。yoko no neko ha kuroi.
The cat beside it is black.
フェンス の 下 に 猫 が いる。fensu no sita ni neko ga iru.
There's a cat under the fence.
猫 が いなくて 困る。neko ga inakute komaru.
I'm troubled because my cat is missing. (because my cat is not there)
いない is the negative form of いる, and いなくて is the connective form of いない
家庭 に は 猫 が います。katei ni ha neko ga imasu.
There is a cat in the household.
Test yourself: What does neko mean?
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“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
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