Three Wise Monkeys Cat Name Trios

The Three Wise Monkeys — see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil — are most famously carved into a panel of the Tōshōgū Shrine in Nikkō, Japan, completed in 1617 under Tokugawa shogun Hidetada. The carving shows three monkeys covering eyes, ears, and mouth in succession. Their Japanese names — Mizaru, Kikazaru, Iwazaru — pun on the verb suffix "-zaru" meaning "do not," while saru also means "monkey." The principle predates the carving by a thousand years: Confucius's Analects (c. 5th century BCE) advise against looking at, listening to, speaking, or doing what is contrary to propriety.

The trio works for three cats whose dispositions split along sensory engagement. Mizaru suits the cat who watches everything from a distance — the cat in the high cat tree, the perch supervisor. Kikazaru suits the cat who listens — the one with ears tracking conversation, who appears at the rustle of food packaging. Iwazaru suits the quiet cat — the one whose meows are rare but pointed, whose silence reads as commentary.

The names work for any gender. Three Japanese Bobtails or three Siamese siblings wear the trio with cultural specificity. The names also work for owners who want philosophical depth without choosing among Greek, Norse, or Hindu mythology — the wise monkeys are East Asian and span Confucian, Buddhist, and Shinto interpretations.

The three columns below suggest cat names matched to each side of the trio by meaning. Mix and match across the columns to assemble the right set for your three cats. Refresh the page for fresh suggestions; click any name to see its full profile.

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