狡
cunning, sly, crafty, miserly, mean, stingy
Readings
On'yomi
- コウ
- キョウ
Kun'yomi
- ずる.い
- こす.い
- わるがしこ.い
Meaning
狡 centers on a sharp, self-serving cleverness that can be sly or crafty, and when applied to resources it becomes miserly or stingy.
Most common words using 狡
- 狡猾こうかつ
sly; cunning; crafty
- 怜悧狡猾れいりこうかつ
cunning; crafty; shrewd; guileful
- 狡けるずるける
to shirk one's duties; to be idle; to play truant
- 狡っ辛いこすっからい
sly
- 狡兎こうと
smart rabbit; cunning rabbit; nimble rabbit
- 狡兎三窟こうとさんくつ
very shrewd in preparing a means of escape; being very good at escaping danger
- 狡兎死して走狗烹らるこうとししてそうくにらる
when the enemy is defeated, the victorious soldiers can be killed off; when the nimble rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked
- 狡兎良狗こうとりょうく
When the enemy is defeated, the victorious soldiers can be killed off
- 狡猾老獪こうかつろうかい
sly and crafty
- 狡知こうち
craft; cunning
- 狡辛いこすからい
sly
Study
Etymology
狡 combines 犭 (animal) with 交, which likely contributes the sound and suggests a crafty, foxy nature. The exact historical development is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
A sly animal 犭 crossing 交 paths with you, ready to trick you out of your resources.
Reading mnemonic
For コウ, imagine a cunning fox coaxing you into a trap: coax -> コウ, and the fox's sly nature matches 狡.