TOPIK · Level 281
15 words
Korean word
야옹
Pronunciation
Romanizationyaong
Meaning
- interjectionmeow
Example
길에서 야옹 하고 우는 고양이를 봤어.ki re seo ya ong ha go u neun ko yang i reul pwa sseo
I saw a cat meowing on the street.
More examples
장난감 고양이가 야옹 하고 울었어.chang nan gam ko yang i ga ya ong ha go u reo sseo
The toy cat meowed.
Core concept
The recognizable voice of a cat reproduced by a person or on the page.
Common phrases
야옹 하고 울다ya ong ha go ul da
meow
고양이가 야옹 하다ko yang i ga ya ong ha da
a cat meowing
밤에 야옹 하는 소리pa me ya ong ha neun so ri
a nighttime meow
Similar words
멍멍meongmeong: A friendly exclamation that copies a dog's bark.
짹짹jjaekjjaek: A repeated chirping sound made to represent a small bird's call.
음메eumme: An imitation of the low sound made by a cow.
Definition in Korean
고양이 울음소리를 흉내 낸 감탄사이자 의성어로, 말할 때 소리를 그대로 흉내내거나 글로 효과를 낼 때 모두 쓰이는 말.ko yang i u reum so ri reul hyung nae naen kam tan sa i ja ui seong eo ro mal hal ttae so ri reul keu dae ro hyung nae nae geo na keul lo hyo gwa reul nael ttae mo du sseu i neun mal
Word origin
The word arose through direct imitation of a cat's cry, so its form comes from sound rather than from a separate source word.
Usage tips
- In Korean comics and messages, recognizing this written sound effect helps show that text can represent a noise, not just spoken words.
Related words
- 야옹하다yaonghadameowverb
- 야옹소리yaongsorimeownoun