ワンコ

ワ

ン

コ

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

doggy; bow-wow; dog

children's languageusually written using kana alone

Affectionate, childlike word for a dog; used by or toward children, or in casual, cute speech. Often used as a pet name.

うちのワンコは散さん歩ぽが大だい好すきだ。
Our doggy loves going for walks.
公こう園えんでかわいいわんこを見みつけた。
I found a cute doggy in the park.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉ワンコを飼かうto keep/own a doggy
うちでは小ちいさいワンコを飼かっている。
We keep a little doggy at home.
ワンコと遊あそぶto play with a doggy
公こう園えんでワンコと遊あそんだ。
I played with a doggy at the park.

Kanji

子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM

Related words

犬いぬN5
犬 is the neutral, standard word for 'dog', while ワンコ is a cute, affectionate term used with children or in casual speech.

Don't confuse with

にゃんこ
ワンコ is the cutesy word for 'dog' while ニャンコ is the parallel cutesy word for 'cat', and learners sometimes mix up which animal each refers to.

Counted with

匹ひきN3
counter for small animals · counter for rolls of cloth · archaic counter for horses · roll of cloth

Built from

Written forms

ワンコUsage60%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is the most common and source-preferred form for this children's word.
わんこUsage40%
Hiragana spelling; also common, especially in casual or child-oriented writing.
ワン子こ
Kanji spelling with katakana reading; very rare and mostly a playful variant.
わん子こ
Kanji spelling with hiragana reading; very rare and mostly a playful variant.
ワンこ

Etymology

Derived from the onomatopoeia ワン (woof) plus the diminutive suffix 子 (こ), creating a cute, childlike word for a dog.