This cute expression ねこのひたい (neko no hitai) is commonly used in Japan.
ねこ (neko) means « cat », ひたい (hitai) means « forehead ». Joining these two words together is the particle のwhich is similar to 'of' in English.
First of all, where is a cat's forehead exactly?? And how big? Can you guess the answer from this question?...
As you may have guessed, the answer is ① A tiny space!
If you think about it, cats have almost no place that can be called a forehead between the muzzle and the top of the head !
You can use this expression like this :
😀あなたのにわは おおきいですか。 (Anata no niwa wa ookii desu ka)
Is your garden is large ?
😆いいえ！ねこのひたいみたいなにわです。(Iie ! Neko no hitai mitaina niwa desu)
No ! It's a small garden like a cat's forehead.
This expression is often used with the word みたいな « mitaina » which describe a comparison. にわ (niwa) means "garden" and おおきい (ookii) means "big" or "large".
When you want to talk in a casual way, you can remove です(desu) from the sentences. Doing this, you just turn the sentences into a casual style. It does not change the meanings.
😀あなたのにわは おおきい? (Anata no niwa wa ookii ?)
Is your garden is large ?
No ! It's a small garden like a cat's forehead.
What tiny space do you have that you can compare to a cat's forehead?
Why not use this cute expression in a conversation! ❤️