Source: We Want To Talk About Kaguya - chapter 182, page 4
It was while reading this comic that I finally understood that “nya” is the Japanese equivalent to “meow”.
Goman means 50,000, in case anyone else was curious.
It’s goma-nyan not goman-ya, innit?
She probably calls the cat ごま cos it’s black like black sesame
The cat’s name is Gomanosuke (胡麻の助), and I think you’re right about the origin. :) The full page shows them calling him this in context.
Oh you’re right, I interpreted that dash in the leftmost bubble as a pause dash rather than a continuation dash (though does Japanese use either of those? I understand it as “repeat the previous vowel”, but I am a novice).
Chat GPT also suggests that it might just be meant as a cute sound rather than having any literal meaning.
Also, do Japanese make puns based on sounds that can be interpreted in different ways depending on where one word is assumed to end and another begin, or mixing the end of one word into the start of another (eg using the n as both the end of “goman” and the start of “nyan”)?
I have read far too much brainrot catgirl manga that I probably take it for granted everyone knows what nyaa/nyan means. Fun fact, “wan” is woof!
