Japanese symbol for “dog”
戌
いぬ
Romaji: inu
the Dog (eleventh sign of the Chinese zodiac)
In Japanese, dog is 戌, 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 the Dog (eleventh sign of the Chinese zodiac)
- n hour of the Dog (around 8pm, 7-9pm, or 8-10pm)
- n west-northwest
- n ninth month of the lunar calendar
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dog”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ドッグ | ドッグ doggu | dog |
| ワン子 | ワンこ wanko | dog; doggy; bow-wow |
| ワン公 | ワンこう wankou | dog |
| 犬の顔 | いぬのかお inunokao | dog; dog's face; dog's head |
| トックリ形 | とっくりけい tokkurikei | dog; dog's face; dog's head |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 戌年 | いぬどし inudoshi | year of the Dog |
| 戌亥 | いぬい inui | northwest |
| 戊戌 | ぼじゅつ bojutsu | Earth Dog (35th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1958, 2018, 2078) |
| 甲戌 | きのえいぬ kinoeinu | Wood Dog (11th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1934, 1994, 2054) |
| 丙戌 | ひのえいぬ hinoeinu | Fire Dog (23rd term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1946, 2006, 2066) |
| 庚戌 | かのえいぬ kanoeinu | Metal Dog (47th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1910, 1970, 2030) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “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.