The word niyao comes from Japanese onomatopoeia for a cat's cry, a softer and more playful variant of the familiar meow that is often written in manga and social media captions. Online, short clips using this sound are shared as reaction audio for cat content, anime-style edits and lighthearted memes, where the distinctive pronunciation itself becomes part of the joke. Because it is instantly recognisable as feline without needing translation, creators keep returning to it for quick, cute moments that cross language barriers.