Japanese Net Culture: Nyanmonaito ニャンモナイト

The latest trend on Japanese SNS, especially twitter is ニャンモナイト (nyanmonaito). What the heck is a nyanmonaito? Here is an example:

"This morning I turned over my covers and found the 'nyanmonaito' season has begun."

朝、毛布をめくるとニャンモナイトが出てくる季節になったか。 pic.twitter.com/ANE1IBOhjo
— Go Endo (@kasiwagi_vertec) September 30, 2014

Get it? Yes, this is what you call it when a cat curls up into a ball to sleep. The term was popularized by japanese cat-lover blogs and web communities.

"2 Nyanmonaitos"

ニャンモナイトが2つ http://t.co/vAwyqmov1B pic.twitter.com/u1ipDbphzo
— 猫の気持ち (@pet_neko) September 21, 2014

Outdoor Nyanmonaito

お外で丸くなったネコ pic.twitter.com/Udq5rjYjvX
— Sukico☆ (@SutekiSukico) April 11, 2013

Where did the word 'nyanmonaito' come from?  Nya = meow, the sound a cat makes.
The rest comes from 'anmonaito' meaning Ammonite, a type of extinct invertebrate related to the cuttlefish. Their shells make great fossils, apparently.

source: http://www.fossilmuseum.net/

This net phenomenon has brought on the question: why do cats curl up in balls? The Japanese articles give 2 explanations: to conserve body heat, and to protect themselves from rivals. Personally, I think the former is probably the more likely reason for cats.





And for dog lovers (like myself), there's Wanmonaito ('wan' = 'woof' or 'bark')

"A Wanmonaito appeared"

ワンモナイト出現 pic.twitter.com/8Ado7Xp7oA
— tomo (@tomo_oneone) October 13, 2014

fluffy wanmonaito

source: http://yooying.com/p/818765415775769792_43923108

shibe wanmonaito

source: http://ushizuwaka.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2007-10-15

 Many animals do the ammonite pose. What would a hedgehog's be called? Harimonaito?
(Hedgehog = Harinezumi [lit. needle mouse])

http://blog-imgs-31.fc2.com/h/e/d/hedogehog/2009_0116_6.jpg

You can even purchase Nyanmonaito keychains!

source: http://www.sk-japan.co.jp/products/pickup/past/2009/0906/nyanmo.html

The product description says : "「ニャンモナイト」とは、猫が丸まって寝ている姿がアンモナイトに似ていることから、猫好きのブログやコミュニティサイトで使われるようになった造語です。"  "Nyanmonaito" is when a cat curls up into a ball to sleep, and looks like an ammonite shell. The term was coined by [Japanese] cat lover blogs and web communities.

Does your pet do the ammonite pose? Take a pic and hashtag #ニャンモナイト or #ワンモナイト on twitter or instagram.


Source Articles:
http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2141213468591143701
http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2141258199594665501

Tags: Japanese internet culture, Japanese net culture, Japanese twitter trend, Japanese slang, Cats, Nyanmonaito, Nyanko, Wanko, Popular, Trending, Pop Culture, Japan