dog; canine
The common word for a domestic dog. Used in everyday speech and writing.
近所の犬が毎朝散歩している。
The neighbor's dog goes for a walk every morning.
犬は人間の最良の友と言われる。
Dogs are said to be man's best friend.
Derogatory slang for an informer or spy, often used in criminal or rough contexts. Usually written in kana.
See also: 密告者
あいつは警察に通報した犬だ。
That guy is a rat who tipped off the police.
Strongly derogatory term for a contemptible person. Vulgar and insulting.
そんな犬みたいな奴と話すことはない。
There's no point talking to a loser like that.
counterfeit; inferior; useless
Prefix used to disparage something as fake, shoddy, or worthless. Common in compounds like 犬死に (pointless death) or 犬侍 (phony samurai).
彼は犬死にを遂げたと言われている。
He is said to have died a pointless death.
あの映画は犬も食わないつまらなさだ。
That movie is so boring even a dog wouldn't touch it.
I've had a dog since I was little.
The neighbor's dog barked in the middle of the night.
I take my dog for a walk in the park every morning.
I was bitten by a dog once when I was a child.
犬 is the general word for 'dog' of any age or size, while 子犬 specifically means a young puppy (or a small dog).
犬 as slang means a spy or informant working for someone in secret, while ポチ describes an openly obsequious lackey who just follows orders.
stray dog
guardian lion-dogs at a Shinto shrine
dog sled; dog sleigh
Japanese wolf (extinct) · wild dog; mountain dog
golden eagle
dog paddle; doggy paddle
loser; underdog; failure · unmarried and childless older woman
dying in vain; wasteful death
foreign dog; Chinese dog
domestic dog
cowardly or depraved samurai
dog clothes; dogwear
Prunus buergeriana; inu-zakura
Japanese beech
Japanese plum-yew; Harrington's cephalotaxus; cowtail pine
yew plum pine; Podocarpus macrophyllus