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きつね Japanese meaning | Kotomora

きつね

also: けつね · きつ

き

つ

ね

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

fox; red fox

usually written using kana alone

The animal, especially the red fox. In ordinary writing きつね is common; キツネ is also natural for the animal name.

裏うら山やまできつねを見みた。
I saw a fox in the woods behind the house.

2

noun

sly person; cunning person

usually written using kana alone

Figurative and usually negative, based on the fox as a clever trickster. It can sound somewhat pointed or old-fashioned depending on context.

あの男おとこはとんだ狐きつねで、簡かん単たんには信しん用ようできない。
That man is a real fox, and you cannot trust him easily.

3

noun

kitsune soba or udon; noodles topped with fried tofu

usually written using kana alone

Menu and food use: きつね refers to soba or udon topped with seasoned deep-fried tofu, as in きつねうどん.

See also: きつねうどん

駅えきのそば屋やできつねを注ちゅう文もんした。
I ordered kitsune noodles at the station soba shop.

4

noun

golden brown; light brown

abbreviationusually written using kana alone

Abbreviated color use, mainly seen in the fixed expression きつね色, the golden-brown color of fried or toasted food.

See also: きつね色

パン粉こがきつね色いろになったら火ひを止とめる。
Turn off the heat when the breadcrumbs turn golden brown.

Written forms

きつねUsage21%
Practical everyday spelling; the senses are usually written in kana.
狐Usage49%
- きつね
  Standard kanji spelling and attested high-priority form, but kana is often preferred in ordinary use, especially for food and color expressions.
- けつね
  Rare or regional pronunciation; not the normal modern reading for learners.
- きつ
  out-dated reading
  Obsolete reading noted; mainly useful for historical or search purposes.
キツネUsage30%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used especially for the animal or species name, as is common with animal names.
けつねUsage<1%
きつ
out-dated reading

Kanji

狐fox

Similar words

狸たぬき
Another animal associated with trickster folklore; in noodle names, たぬき usually involves tempura bits, while きつね involves fried tofu.
きつねうどん
The full dish name for udon topped with fried tofu; きつね alone can be used as a menu shorthand.
きつね色いろ
The full color expression meaning golden brown; きつね by itself is mainly an abbreviation or bound element for this color sense.

Etymology

きつね is a native Japanese animal name; the exact historical derivation is uncertain. 狐 is the conventional kanji spelling for the fox, while kana spellings are very common in modern use.