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ねこばば Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
pocketing ; embezzlement ; stealing
usually written using kana alone
Colloquial term for secretly taking something for oneself, especially money or a found item, and pretending not to know about it. Often used in the phrase ねこばばをする.
彼かれ は 会かい 社しゃ の 金かね を ねこばば し て クビ に なっ た 。
He embezzled company money and got fired.
2
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru'
covering up wrongdoing ; feigning ignorance
Used when someone hides their own misdeed and acts as if nothing happened. Less common than sense 1.
Written forms ねこばば Usage 5%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms are rare or ateji.
ネコババ Usage 55%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling sometimes used for emphasis or in informal writing.
猫糞ねこばば Usage 25%
Ateji kanji form; very rare.
猫ねこ ばば Usage 15%
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; rarely used.
猫ねこ 婆ばば
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form (source rarely used kanji form).
Kanji 婆 old woman, grandma, wet nurse Similar words 横おう 領りょう Formal term for embezzlement or misappropriation, often used in legal contexts. ねこばば is colloquial and implies sneaky, personal theft.
着ちゃく 服ふく Means to embezzle or pocket money, especially by someone in a position of trust. More formal than ねこばば.
Etymology Literally 'cat feces' (猫糞). The term comes from the image of a cat covering its feces with sand to hide them, likened to a person hiding their misdeed. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the expression is well-established in colloquial Japanese.
