Maneki Neko, or more commonly known as the lucky cat, is a figurine that’s said to bring its owner luck and great fortune. In Japanese, “maneki” means beckoning (the motion the cat is doing), and “neko” means cat. Henry and I have always had an obsession with Maneki Neko figurines, but we have somehow never owned one (we just fawn over them whenever we see them in stores). So when we booked our flight to Japan, we decided that we would get one there if we found one we liked.

Before we left for Japan, however, it suddenly struck me that I could make my own! So right before leaving for Japan, I sat down at my crochet table and got to work. Here’s what I came up with and I love it!!

Free Maneki Neko Lucky Cat Amigurumi Crochet Pattern

The finished item measures to be about 4 inches tall. You can customize your own Maneki Neko in different ways and it’s supposed to bring you something different with each customization.

The paw you choose to keep up will determine the kind of luck it brings you. Having the left paw raised is said to bring in customers (business) and having the right paw raised brings in money (for home). Some lucky cats have both paws up for people who simply want it all.

Also, the colour you choose to make your cat can also give it different meaning. Traditionally, they’re white, which represents general good fortune. Black will ward off evil, red will bring you good health, yellow represents general wealth, and pink is for romance. I chose to go with the white because I like the classic Maneki Neko.

Fun Fact: Meowth from the Pokemon franchise is inspired by the Maneki Neko! If you would like to make Meowth, you can find the pattern here!

The difficulty level of this pattern is Intermediate and this pattern is written in US crochet terminology.

Note: To protect my work, I have disabled right click and printing on my site because I have experienced theft in the past. Please do not copy my patterns in any way. By copying or distributing my patterns without permission, you are making it difficult for designers like me to continue doing what I love. Doing so also discourages me and will prompt me to stop sharing my patterns freely. If you wish to utilize the free patterns, you may do so on my site. Thank you so much for your understanding and for being respectful!

If you have an issue with how I choose to share my free patterns on my site, read this.

---

If you wish to print out the pattern, you can purchase the ad-free, printable PDF of the Maneki Neko & Daruma Amigurumi pattern collection from the shop. ($6 CAD)

By purchasing the printable version, you are supporting me directly. Your support allows me to continue to create new patterns and maintain the site!

---

---

*Note: I worked in continuous rounds (vs. joined rounds) unless otherwise stated.

**Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional costs to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. You can read a little more about that here!

TERMINOLOGY
st(s): stitch(es)
ch: chain
sc: single crochet
hdc: half double crochet
dc: double crochet
inc: two single crochet in one stitch
dec: invisible decrease, single crochet two stitches together through the front loops only
sl st: slip stitch
BLO: crochet only in the back loops (loop away from you) of each stitch
FLO: crochet only in the front loops (loop closest to you) of each stitch
(…) x # : repeat anything in the parenthesis however many times the number indicates
[#]: total number of stitches for that row
#sc: one sc in the following # stitches
sc#: sc # times in the next stitch (I will bold this so that it’s easier to distinguish from #sc)
dc#: dc # times in the next stitch (will also be in bold)

THINGS YOU NEED

• Shine Sport Yarn in Cream, Serrano, Macaw, Dandelion & Sweet Potato (Cream, Red, Green, Yellow, Rusty Orange)
• Curio Thread in Hollyberry and Ash (or Black)
• 3.0 mm Crochet Hook
• 6mm Safety Eyes
• Polyfil or Cotton for stuffing
• Scissors
• Darning Needle
• Stitch Marker
• Pins

---

Maneki Neko Head

with cream yarn
1 6sc in magic circle [6]
2 (inc) x 6 [12]
3 (sc, inc) x 6 [18]
4 (2sc, inc) x 6 [24]
5 (3sc, inc) x 6 [30]
6-7 sc in all sts [30]
8 (4sc, inc) x 6 [36]
9-10 sc in all sts [36]
11 (5sc, inc) x 6 [42]
12 sc in all sts [42]
13 (5sc, dec) x 6 [36]
14 (4sc, dec) x 6 [30]
15 (3sc, dec) x 6 [24]
16 (2sc, dec) x 6 [18]
17 (sc, dec) x 6 [12]
Fasten off, stuff, close hole and weave tail in.

Maneki Neko Body

starting with cream yarn
1 6sc in magic circle [6]
2 (inc) x 6 [12]
3 (sc, inc) x 6 [18]
4 (2sc, inc) x 6 [24]
5 (3sc, inc) x 6 [30]
6-9 sc in all sts [30]
10 (13sc, dec) x 2 [28]
11 sc in all sts [28]
12 (12sc, dec) x 2 [26]
13 (11sc, dec) x 2 [24]
14 16sc, (dec) x 2, 4sc [22]
15 17sc, dec, 3sc [21]
switch to red yarn
**When you cut the cream yarn, make sure
to leave a long tail. You will be sewing the body to
the head with the cream yarn.
16 FLO, sc in all sts [21]
Fasten off, stuff, weave the red yarn tail in.

Maneki Neko Ears

Inner Ear
(Make 2)
with red yarn
1 Ch 5, dc into 3rd ch from hook, hdc,
sc3, continue on other side: hdc, dc [7]
Fasten off, weave tail in, set aside for later.

Outer Ear (Make 2)
with cream yarn
1 Ch 5, dc into 3rd ch from hook, hdc, sc3, continue on other side: hdc, dc, ch 1, turn [7]

Place the wrong side of the red triangle and current triangle together. You’ll be crocheting through both pieces in the next round.

2 2sc, inc, (hdc, ch 1, hdc) in the next st, inc, 2sc, 5sc across the bottom and sl st to the first st [15]
Fasten off, leave a long tail for sewing.

---

---

Maneki Neko Arms

Make 2
with cream yarn
1 6sc in magic circle [6]
2 (sc, inc) x 3 [9]
3-4 sc in all sts [9]
5 2sc, dec, sc, dec, 2sc [7]
6 3sc, dec, 2sc [6]
7-8 2sc, inc, sc, dec [6]
9-10 dec, sc, inc, 2sc [6]
Fasten off, stuff lightly, leave a tail for sewing.

Maneki Neko Hind Legs

with cream yarn
1 Ch 4, inc in 2nd ch from hook, sc, sc3, continuing on the other side: 2sc [8]
From this point on you will be working in the round.
2 BLO, sc in all sts [8]

Left:
3 3sc, dec, turn
4 4sc, turn
5 inc, 3sc, turn
6 inc, 3sc, inc

Right:
3 dec, 3sc, turn
4 4sc, turn
5 3sc, inc, turn
6 inc, 3sc, inc

Fasten off, leave a long tail sewing.

Maneki Neko Bib

with green yarn
1 Ch 6, sc in 2nd ch from hook, 4sc, turn [5]
2 sc, hdc, dc2, hdc, sc [6]
Fasten off, leave a long tail for sewing.

Koban & Bell

Bell
with yellow yarn
1 6sc in magic circle, sl st to first st [6]
Fasten off, leave a tail for sewing.

Koban (Coin)
with yellow yarn
1 Ch 5, sc into the 2nd ch from hook, 2sc, sc3,
continuing on the other side: 2sc, inc [10]
2 inc, 2sc, inc, sc, inc, 3sc, inc [14]
3 sc, inc, 3sc, inc, 2sc, inc, 3sc, inc, sl st [18]
4 BLO, sc in all sts [18]
Fasten off, leave a long tail for sewing.

Maneki Neko Tail

starting with rusty orange yarn
1 6sc in magic circle [6]
2 sc in all sts [6]
switch to cream yarn
3-6 sc in all sts [6]
Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing.

---

---

Assembly

• Pin the head onto the body. Using the cream yarn from the body, sew the head to the body.
• Pin the ears onto the top of the head, roughly 5 sts between the ears.

• Pin the bib onto the front of the body and sew into place. Pin the bell in the middle of the bib right below the red “collar” from the body and sew in place.
• Pin the arms onto the side, positioning one of the arms to be raised. Left arm up for bringing in business, and right arm up for personal good fortune. Make sure to sew the paw (the one that isn’t raised) onto the belly.  

• Pin the hind legs to the side of the body, making sure to fully sew around the opening of the leg. Lightly stuff the legs before completely sewing the entire leg to the body.

---

---

• Pin the tail onto the butt and sew in place. This will help your lucky cat stay up.

• With black thread, embroider your koban (or coin) with the same characters that I have embroidered onto mine (千万両). You can also just embroider lines across the coin with gold thread instead if you want.

• Pin the koban onto the body of your Maneki Neko, tuck a part of the coin underneath the paw that is resting on the belly, and sew in place, stuffing lightly as you go.

• With black or red embroidery thread, stitch in the face details. This is where you can get creative and add different details to the face. I chose to go with a dark pink thread because I liked the way it softens the facial details a bit, but you can use black thread if you want the facial features to stand out a bit more.

Congrats! You have now finished your very own Maneki Neko. I hope your new little lucky friend brings you whatever you’re looking for!

Please leave me a comment down below (or contact me) if you have any questions about this pattern. I would also love to see your creation so don’t forget to tag me (@olliehollycrochet) on Instagram or use the #olliehollycrochet! Please let me know in the comments what you would like to see next!

If you find any mistakes in the pattern, please contact me and let me know! I do my best to catch my mistakes when I edit my patterns but I sometimes miss the little things.

You may sell products made from this pattern in small quantities but please clearly credit the design to me, Abby Sy of Ollie + Holly and provide a link to my blog www.OllieHolly.com.  Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind.  Thank you for being respectful and for your understanding!