Japanese symbol for “canine”
犬
いぬ
Romaji: inu
dog (Canis (lupus) familiaris); canine
In Japanese, canine is 犬, read いぬ (inu).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n dog (Canis (lupus) familiaris); canine
- n squealer; rat; snitch; informer; informant; spy
- n loser; asshole
- n-pref counterfeit; inferior; useless; wasteful
Written forms: 犬、狗. Readings: いぬ、イヌ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “canine”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 犬歯 | けんし kenshi | eyetooth; cuspid; canine (tooth) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 愛犬 | あいけん aiken | pet dog; beloved dog |
| 飼い犬 | かいいぬ kaiinu | pet dog |
| 野犬 | やけん yaken | stray dog; ownerless dog |
| 盲導犬 | もうどうけん moudouken | guide dog; seeing-eye dog |
| 負け犬 | まけいぬ makeinu | loser; failure; underdog |
| 猟犬 | りょうけん ryouken | hound; hunting dog; gun dog |
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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