犬いんの子こ

noun

puppy; whelp

A somewhat old-fashioned or literary word for a puppy. In modern everyday speech, 子犬 (こいぬ) is far more common.

• 昔むかし話ばなしには、よく犬いんの子こが登とう場じょうする。

  Puppies often appear in old tales.

noun

magic word to comfort a frightened child

A soothing phrase used to calm a scared child and help them sleep. This is a set expression, not a literal reference to a puppy. Rare and mostly found in folklore or traditional lullabies.

• 「犬いんの子こ、犬いんの子こ、ねんねしな」と祖そ母ぼは幼おさない私わたしに言いった。

  My grandmother would say to little me, 'Inunoko, inunoko, go to sleep.'