JP nekoma
*⟨ni1a-ko1ma⟩ → ⟨ne1ko1ma⟩ → /nekoma/
From Old Japanese. Originally a compound of にゃ (nya, “onomatopoeia for the sound a cat makes (compare English mew, meow)”) + こま (koma, “four-legged animal”).
Obsolete; replaced by shorter form neko in modern Japanese.