Katakana "Mya" Coloring Pages

The "Mya" in "Mya-mya"

The character on this coloring page is Katakana "Mya".
The word is "Mya-mya". It is not the name of a thing, but a word that shows the meow sound a little kitten makes.
The picture on the left shows two little kittens popping their heads out of a box and meowing "Mya-mya".
Are they calling for their mom, or do they want to play with you?
Katakana are characters we often use to write words from other countries, names of animals and plants, and sounds or animal calls. Kitten calls like "Mya-mya" are usually written in Katakana too!

"Mi" and a little "ya" make one sound

To write Katakana "Mya", you put a little "ya" after "Mi".
You write it with two characters, but you read it as one single sound: Katakana "Mya". We call a sound like this a contracted sound.
If you write "ya" big to make "Mi-ya", it splits into two separate sounds: "Mi" and "ya". Writing it small or big changes how you read it!
Try saying "Mya-mya" while clapping your hands. For Katakana "Mya", you only need to clap your hands one time!

The Kanji that made Katakana "Mya"

Katakana are characters made by taking one part of a Kanji or using the shape of a Kanji.
Long ago, monks started using them to quickly write down how to read Kanji in holy books.
"Mi" was made from the Kanji character "三" (three). Writing it with three lines is just like "三" too!
The little "ya" is a smaller form of the big "ya", and "ya" was made from the Kanji character "也".

Tips for writing Katakana "Mya"

"Mi" takes 3 strokes.
You draw three short lines, one by one from the top.
Slant every line from the top left to the bottom right, and stop at the end.
Make the spaces between the three lines about the same, and make the third line a little longer to make it look neat!
The little "ya" takes 2 strokes, drawn in the same order as the big "ya".
When writing sideways, draw it small in the bottom left of the box. Be careful not to make it the same size as "Mi"!

Words that start with Katakana "Mya"

There are very few words that start with Katakana "Mya".
Besides kitten calls like Myaa and Myao, there is Myanmar, which is a country in Southeast Asia.
If you look at words written in Hiragana, there are some with "mya" in the middle, like sanmyaku (mountain range) and doumyaku (artery).
Pretend you are a little kitten and try meowing "Myaa"!

Color the Big Katakana "Mya" in Two Colors

The big Katakana "Mya" on the top right is a giant letter for you to color in.
If you color the big "ミ" and the small "ャ" in different colors, it is easy to see that Katakana "Mya" is made of two letters.
Color "ミ" in a light brown like kitten fur, and color the small "ャ" in pink. That will give it a soft, gentle feel!
It is also fun to change colors for each stroke, like the 1st stroke and 2nd stroke of the writing order.

Color the Two Kittens Differently

If you give the two kittens different fur colors, they will be easy to tell apart.
For example, try coloring one kitten as an orange tabby, and the other kitten in gray or as a black and white spotted cat.
Color the inside of their ears, their noses, and their open mouths in pink.
If you color the box in light brown, it will look just like a cardboard box. It is also cute to draw ribbons or patterns on it to make it a present box!

Tracing Comes in Pairs

In the bottom-right boxes, there are 4 pairs of light gray Katakana "Mya". You can see "ミ" in the left box and a small "ャ" in the right box.
Hold your pencil correctly. Trace over the gray lines slowly so you do not go outside the lines.
Use the vertical and horizontal center lines inside the boxes to help you learn where the letter goes and how big it should be.
Check to see if the small "ャ" fits neatly in the bottom left of its box, too.
Say "Mya" out loud every time you trace a pair. That helps you learn the letter and its sound together!

Kittens Have Blue Eyes at First

Newborn kittens keep their eyes closed.
They open their eyes about 1 to 2 weeks after they are born.
Most kittens have bluish eyes when they first open them. The color changes to their own real eye color as they grow up!

Kittens Meow to Call Their Mom

Kittens meow "mya mya" to let their mom know when they are hungry, cold, or cannot find her.
Grown-up cats do not usually meow to talk to each other.
If a cat meows a lot to you, it might be because they think of you like a mom!

"Mya" and "Nya"

A cat's meow can be written as "nya" or "mya."
When you write the soft, high voice of a tiny kitten, Katakana "Mya" feels like the perfect fit.
Which sound do the cats around you make?

Let's Compare Katakana "Mya" with Hiragana "みゃ"

When you write Katakana "Mya" in hiragana, it is "みゃ".
The hiragana "み" came from the kanji "美," and the katakana "ミ" came from the kanji "三."
Even though they make the same sound, their original kanji are different! That is why "み" and "ミ" look so different.
The small "ゃ" and "ャ" both came from the kanji "也," so they are like brothers and sisters!