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狸爺 (たぬきじじい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

狸たぬき爺じじい

た

ぬ

き

じ

じ

い

Meanings

1

noun

cunning old man; sly old fox

Derogatory term for an old man who is crafty, shrewd, and not to be trusted, likening him to a tanuki (raccoon dog) known in folklore for trickery.

あの狸たぬき爺じじいには気きをつけろ。何なにを企たくらんでいるかわからない。
Watch out for that cunning old man. You never know what he's plotting.
村むらの狸たぬき爺じじいがまた誰だれか

を

騙だま

し

た

らしい

。

It seems the sly old fox of the village has tricked someone again.

Kanji

狸tanuki, raccoon
爺old man, grampa

Similar words

狸たぬき親おや父じ
Similar meaning but uses 親父 (oyaji) instead of 爺 (jijii); both refer to a crafty older man, with 狸爺 perhaps emphasizing advanced age more.
古ふる狸だぬき
Literally 'old tanuki'; a more general term for a shrewd, experienced person, not necessarily an old man.

Etymology

Compound of 狸 (tanuki, 'raccoon dog', an animal associated with trickery in Japanese folklore) and 爺 (jijii, 'old man'). The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely arose as a derogatory metaphor for a crafty elderly man.