狆
Pekinese dog, Japanese spaniel
Readings
On'yomi
- チュウ
Kun'yomi
- ちん
Meaning
狆 centers on a specific small companion dog breed: the Pekinese or Japanese spaniel. The meanings are direct breed names rather than a broad concept.
Most common words using 狆
- 狆ちん
Japanese chin (dog breed); Japanese spaniel
- 狆がくしゃみをしたようちんがくしゃみをしたよう
crumpled up (of a face; like the face of a Japanese spaniel while it's sneezing)
- 狆くしゃちんくしゃ
pug-nosed face; person with a pug-nosed face
Study
Etymology
狆 is a phono-semantic compound: the animal radical 犭 (dog) combines with 中, which likely provides the sound チュウ. The character was created specifically to name the Pekinese or Japanese spaniel breed.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 犭 is a dog, and the right side 中 suggests something small and central. Picture a tiny Pekinese dog sitting proudly in the middle of a room.
Reading mnemonic
For チュウ, imagine a tiny Pekinese dog chewing on a toy: chew -> チュウ, and the dog is the center of attention.