Look at spacing and shape under the tail
Sexing a young Egyptian Mau comes down to the view under the tail, not the famous spots. With the kitten standing or held gently upright and the tail lifted, you will see the anus first. Below it, a female kitten has a second opening very close by, shaped like a short vertical slit, so the pair looks almost like an upside-down exclamation mark. A male kitten's second opening sits noticeably further down, is round like a small dot, and the pair looks more like a colon. Distance is the most reliable clue at this age, so judge spacing before anything else.
What you can feel in a male kitten
A male Egyptian Mau kitten may also give the answer by touch. Between the two openings in a male there is a small pouch of skin where the testicles develop, and in many kittens you can feel two tiny, pea-like shapes under the skin even before they are obvious to the eye. In a female that same area is flat and smooth. Use one fingertip, press no harder than you would checking a pulse, and stop if the kitten objects; a Mau kitten that is handled calmly for a few seconds gives you a clearer look than a long struggle.
Why the Mau's coat cannot help you
Coat colour settles sex in some kittens, but not in an Egyptian Mau. Tortoiseshell and calico cats are almost always female because those patterns are tied to having two X chromosomes, yet Maus come in silver, bronze, and smoke, all spotted, and males and females wear them identically. The breed's green eyes, loose belly flap, and speckled skin tell you nothing either. Owners sometimes guess from face shape or size, but young Mau littermates are too similar for that to mean anything, so treat the under-tail check as the only home method worth trusting.
Handling a wriggly kitten for the check
A young Egyptian Mau is quick, athletic, and not always patient, so set the check up to succeed. Pick a moment after play when the kitten is sleepy, work on a low surface rather than holding it high, and have a second person steady the front end while you lift the tail. Good light matters more than magnification; a phone torch held by your helper beats squinting. If the kitten is under eight weeks the differences are smaller, and even experienced breeders occasionally revise an early call, so an answer at six weeks should be held lightly until confirmed.
Getting a certain answer
Certainty comes from a vet or the breeder, who sex kittens routinely and can check during the first health visit. Ask them to confirm rather than simply agree with your guess, and update your records straight away, because sex affects everything from naming to the timing of neutering discussions and which kitten in a litter is which. Noting the confirmed sex on your Egyptian Mau's KinsLe Pet Pass, its verified ID card, keeps that identity detail correct alongside your contact information whenever the profile is shown.