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犬

dog
Stroke count: 4

Readings

On readingケン
Kun readingいぬ、いぬ-
JLPT level: N4JōyōGrade 1

Meanings

  1. dogRtK
  1. dog (Canis (lupus) familiaris)
  2. canine
  3. squealer
  4. rat
  5. snitch

Radicals and components

Radical犬dog犭variant
Components
How it's built
犬
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Mnemonic (RtK)

ⓘ

large (大) · St. Bernard (犬) · drop (丶)

From "Remembering the Kanji" by James Heisig · Frame 253

Compound words

愛犬あいけん
pet dog; beloved dog; love of dogs; fondness for dogs
番犬ばんけん
watchdog; guard dog
野犬やけん
stray dog; ownerless dog
猟犬りょうけん
hound; hunting dog; gun dog
子犬こいぬ
puppy; small dog
負け犬まけいぬ
loser; failure; underdog; unsuccessful person; non-achiever
盲導犬もうどうけん
guide dog; seeing-eye dog
飼い犬かいいぬ
pet dog
犬猿の仲けんえんのなか
like cats and dogs; (on) very bad terms; relationship of dogs and monkeys
一犬いっけん
one dog
狂犬きょうけん
mad dog
軍犬ぐんけん
war dog
犬科いぬか
Canidae (family containing domestic dogs, wolves, foxes, etc.)
犬歯けんし
eyetooth
犬樟いぬぐす
Machilus thunbergii (species of laurel)
犬槙いぬまき
yew plum pine (Podocarpus macrophyllus)
犬鷲イヌワシ
golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
犬蕨いぬわらび
Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum)
犬椈いぬぶな
Japanese beech (Fagus japonica)
犬榧いぬがや
Japanese plum-yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia)
犬橇いぬぞり
dog sled
犬薺いぬなずな
woodland draba (Draba nemorosa)
犬槇いぬまき
yew plum pine (Podocarpus macrophyllus)
狛犬こまいぬ
(stone) guardian lion-dogs at a Shinto shrine

Kun Reading Examples

私たちは一日に三回、犬に餌を与えている。いぬ
We feed our dog three times a day.tatoeba
ルーシーに私の犬の面倒を見てもらった。いぬ
My dog was taken care of by Lucy.tatoeba

Additional Examples

彼は彼女に犬を買ってやった。
He bought her a dog.tatoeba
彼は日曜日に息子といっしょに犬小屋を作った。
He made a kennel with his son on Sunday.tatoeba
彼は日曜大工で犬小屋を作った。
As a do-it-yourselfer, he made a doghouse.tatoeba
彼は大事な犬をとうてい手放すことはできなかった。
He couldn't possibly part with his beloved dog.tatoeba

Stroke Order

4 strokes

Practice Writing

Practice Writing 犬

Draw with a guide, then from memory — checked at every step