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狼 (おおかみ, ookami) Japanese meaning: wolf | Kotomora

狼おおかみ

also: おおかめ · おいぬ

お

お

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み

Common word›Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

The animal Canis lupus. Used in everyday language, folklore, and idioms.

森もりで狼おおかみの遠とお吠ぼえが聞きこえた。

We heard a wolf howling in the distance in the forest.

狼おおかみは群むれで行こう動どうする。

Wolves act in packs.

2

wolf in sheep's clothing; womanizer

Figurative use: a person who appears gentle but is predatory, especially a seducer or womanizer. Often used in set phrases like 狼の皮をかぶった羊.

彼かれは優やさしそうに見みえるが、実じつは狼おおかみだ。
He looks gentle, but he's actually a wolf in sheep's clothing.
あの男おとこは狼おおかみだから気きをつけて。
Be careful of that man; he's a womanizer.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉が狼おおかみに襲おそわれるto be attacked by a wolf
森もりで旅たび人びとが狼おおかみに襲おそわれた。
A traveler was attacked by a wolf in the forest.
〈人ひと〉は狼おおかみだused to call someone (a man) a womanizer
彼かれは本ほん当とうに狼おおかみだから気きをつけて。
Watch out—he's a real womanizer.
狼おおかみの群むれa pack of wolves
山やまの中なかで狼おおかみの群むれを見みかけた。
I spotted a pack of wolves in the mountains.

Expressions

前ぜん門もんの虎とら、後こう門もんの狼おおかみbetween a rock and a hard place; out of the frying pan into the fire
後こう門もんの虎とら、前ぜん門もんの狼おおかみbetween a rock and a hard place; out of the frying pan into the fire

Kanji

狼wolf

Related words

プレイボーイ sense 2
プレイボーイ is a casual loanword for a womanizer, while 狼 is the more metaphorical, slightly literary way to call a man predatory with women.
ウルフ
狼 is the native Japanese word for a wolf used in everyday and traditional contexts, while ウルフ is the English loanword often chosen for a modern, stylish, or foreign-sounding effect (e.g. in brand or animal names).

Opposites

紳しん士しN1sense 2
紳士 describes a well-mannered, trustworthy gentleman, the opposite of a predatory womanizer called 狼.

Don't confuse with

きつねN1sense 1
狼 and 狐 are both wild canines that appear together in Japanese folklore, but 狼 is the wolf while 狐 is the fox, a smaller and often trickster-type animal.
犬いぬN5sense 1
犬 and 狼 share the same 犬 radical and look related in kanji, but 犬 is the domesticated dog while 狼 is the wild wolf.
大おお神かみ
大神 (おおかみ) means 'great god', while 狼 (おおかみ) means 'wolf' — they share the same reading but have completely unrelated meanings.

Counted with

匹ひきN3
counter for small animals · counter for rolls of cloth · archaic counter for horses · roll of cloth

Word family· 16

一いっ匹ぴき狼おおかみ
lone wolf; loner; self-reliant person
狼おおかみ男おとこ
werewolf
オオカミウオ
Bering wolffish
フクロオオカミ
thylacine; Tasmanian tiger; Tasmanian wolf

Written forms

狼Usage65%
- おおかみ
  Standard kanji spelling for 'wolf'.
- おいぬ
  out-dated reading
- おおかめ
  out-dated reading

Etymology

The word おおかみ is of native Japanese origin. The kanji 狼 is a Chinese character adopted for its meaning 'wolf'. The historical derivation of the reading is uncertain.

アカオオカミ

dhole; Asiatic wild dog · red wolf

Show 6 more

タテガミオオカミ
maned wolf
ほっきょくおおかみ
Arctic wolf
大たい陸りく狼おおかみ
Eurasian wolf; European gray wolf
シンリンオオカミ
timber wolf; lobo
灰はい色いろ狼おおかみ
gray wolf; grey wolf
狼おおかみ人にん間げん
werewolf

See all 16 in Explore →

オオカミUsage28%

kana-only spelling

Katakana spelling used in biological contexts or for emphasis.

おおかみUsage7%

Kana spelling, common in children's books or when avoiding kanji.

おおかめ

out-dated reading

Obsolete kana usage; not used in modern Japanese.

おいぬ

out-dated reading

Obsolete kana usage; not used in modern Japanese.