マタタビ

マ

タ

ビ

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

silver vine; cat powder

usually written using kana alone

A plant (Actinidia polygama) known for its effect on cats, similar to catnip. Often called 'cat powder' in English when referring to the powdered form used for cats.

猫ねこにマタタビを与あたえると、酔よったような反はん応のうをする。
When you give silver vine to a cat, it reacts as if drunk.
マタタビの実みは猫ねこが大だい好すきだ。
Cats love the fruit of the silver vine.

See all 3 example sentences ›

Kanji

木tree, wood
天heavens, sky, imperial
蓼luxurious grass, a smartweed

Related words

キャットニップ
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a different plant from the mint family, while マタタビ is a species of Actinidia. Both have similar effects on cats.

Written forms

マタタビUsage78%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this plant name; usually written in kana.
またたびUsage22%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Hiragana spelling, also common.
木天蓼またたび
rarely-used kanji formgikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used. The reading is a jukujikun.

Etymology

The word マタタビ is of Japanese origin. The kanji 木天蓼 is a jukujikun reading, where the characters are used for their meaning rather than their sound. The exact derivation of またたび is uncertain.