虎とら

と

ら

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

tiger

The animal Panthera tigris. Used in both literal and figurative contexts.

Colloquial term for a heavy drinker or someone who is drunk, often used humorously or derogatorily.

虎とらになるto get very drunk
彼かれはビールを何なん本ぼんも飲のんで虎とらになった。
He drank several beers and got completely drunk.

虎とらの巻まきbook of secrets; inside information; trade secrets · study guide; crib; answer key
虎とらの子こtiger cub · one's treasure; precious savings
虎とらに翼つばさmaking the strong even stronger; adding power to power
虎とらの尾おtiger's tail · gooseneck loosestrife · Asplenium incisum (spleenwort)
張はり子この虎とらpapier-mâché tiger toy · paper tiger; all bark and no bite

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ハナトラノオobedient plant; false dragonhead
市いちに虎とらありpeople will believe a falsehood if many repeat it; argumentum ad populum
市いちに虎とらを放はなつlet a fox into the henhouse; do something dangerous; let loose a tiger in the marketplace
虎とらの尾おを踏ふむplay with fire; take a great risk; step on a tiger's tail
虎とらを野のに放はなつlet loose a tiger in the field; unleash something dangerous

酔よっ払ぱらいN3sense 2
酔っ払い is the plain, widely used word for a drunk person, while 虎 is a colloquial slang term for the same thing, often implying a loud or troublesome drunk.
タイガー
虎 is the native Japanese word for tiger used in traditional, literary, and idiomatic contexts, while タイガー is the English loanword favored in modern contexts like team or product names.

寅とら sense 1
寅 shares the reading とら but refers specifically to the tiger as the third sign of the Chinese zodiac, whereas 虎 is the ordinary word for the animal itself.
ジャガー
ジャガー (jaguar) is smaller and has rosette-patterned fur, whereas 虎 (tiger) is larger and has distinctive stripes, so learners sometimes mix up the two big cats.

頭とうN3
counter for large animals; head of livestock; counter for collected insects or certain headgear

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虎とらUsage54%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
トラUsage38%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling commonly used in biological contexts or for emphasis.
とらUsage8%

The kanji 虎 is a pictograph of a tiger. The colloquial sense 'drunkard' likely derives from the image of a fierce, unruly tiger.