シェパード

also: セパード

シェ

パ

ー

ド

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

German shepherd; Alsatian

Specifically refers to the German shepherd dog breed. Often used as an abbreviation of ジャーマンシェパード.

See also: ジャーマンシェパード

近きん所じょのシェパードはとても賢かしこい。
The German shepherd in my neighborhood is very smart.

警けい察さつ犬けんとしてシェパードがよく使つかわれる。

German shepherds are often used as police dogs.

2

noun

shepherd

General term for a shepherd, but in modern Japanese this sense is rare and usually understood from context or as part of compound words. The dog breed sense is overwhelmingly more common.

聖せい書しょに出でてくるシェパードは羊ひつじ飼かいのことだ。
The 'shepherd' in the Bible refers to a sheep herder.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉がシェパードを飼かうfor someone to keep a German shepherd (as a pet)
うちの家か族ぞくはシェパードを二に匹ひき飼かっている。
My family keeps two German shepherds.

Related words

ジャーマンシェパード sense 1
ジャーマンシェパード is the full breed name, while シェパード is the common everyday abbreviation for the same dog.
羊ひつじ飼かい sense 2
羊飼い is the standard Japanese word for a human shepherd, whereas シェパード in this sense is a rare, mostly unused loanword.

Counted with

匹ひきN3sense 1
匹 is the everyday counter used for a シェパード in casual speech, even though it is a large dog breed.
頭とうN3sense 1
頭 is sometimes used for a シェパード in formal or veterinary contexts because it is a large animal.

Word family

シェパードチェック
shepherd's check; gun club check; shepherd's plaid
ジャーマンシェパード
German shepherd

Written forms

シェパードUsage98%
Standard katakana spelling for the dog breed; also used for the general 'shepherd' sense.
セパードUsage2%
rarely-used kana form
Rarely used kana form; learners are unlikely to encounter this spelling.

Etymology

Borrowed from English 'shepherd', primarily referring to the dog breed.