猫の手も借りたい: Japanese Idiom ‘Want to Borrow Cat’s Hand’

Pronunciation

Definition

猫の手も借りたい (ねこのてもかりたい) is a famous Japanese idiom that literally means ‘I would want to borrow even a hand (paw) of a cat’. Figuratively, it means ‘extremely busy’ — so busy that you’re grasping at cat’s paw, which is totally useless.

Related Word: 借りてきた猫

借りてきた猫（かりてきたねこ）is another advanced Japanese idiom that literally means ‘a borrowed cat’.  Figuratively, it illustrate when someone becomes shy and reticent because they are feeling nerves or overwhelmed in a new environment. This idiom invokes the image of a vigilant cat placed in an unfamiliar environment.

Example Sentences

(1) 猫の手も借りたいほど人手不足(ひとでぶそく)だ
We are short-handed as if we’d want to borrow even cat’s paw

(2) 猫の手も借りたい状況(じょうきょう)だ
This is a situation where I’m so busy that I’d want to borrow even cat’s paw

(3) 彼女(かのじょ)は人見知り(ひとみしり)なのか、しばらく借りてきた猫のように静(しず)かだった。

She had been quite like a borrowed cat for a while, and that’s probably because she is 人見知り (not good at talking with someone not close).

Check the meaning of 人見知り and its related word コミュ障 here 

Related Expressions to 猫 (ねこ; cat)

猫も杓子も: Japanese Idiom ‘Cats and Rice Spatulas’
猫をかぶる: Japanese Idiom ‘Wear a Cat’

Synonyms

Synonyms: 多忙 (たぼう) very busy

Synonyms in English: extremely busy

Related Words: 猫 (ねこ) cat, 手(て) hand, 借(か)りる borrow, rent