foreign dog; Chinese dog
Rare historical term for a dog of foreign, especially Chinese, origin. Not used in modern everyday Japanese; encountered mainly in historical or literary contexts.
The word 唐犬 appears in documents from the Edo period.
Compound of 唐 (kara, 'Tang; China; foreign') and 犬 (inu, 'dog'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it reflects the historical perception of foreign dogs coming from China.