柴犬

Japanese

柴犬 (shiba inu, shiba ken): a Shiba Inu puppy.

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
しば
Jinmeiyō
いぬ
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Compound of (shiba, brushwood) + (inu, dog),[1][2] possibly in reference to the dog's small stature and ability to pursue prey even through overgrown terrain.

Pronunciation

Noun

柴犬 (hiragana しばいぬ, rōmaji shibainu)

  1. a Shiba Inu

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
しば
Jinmeiyō
けん
Grade: 1
yutōyomi

Compound of (shiba, brushwood) + (ken, dog), using the on'yomi of ken for the second character.

Pronunciation

Noun

柴犬 (hiragana しばけん, rōmaji shibaken)

  1. a Shiba Inu
Usage notes

The shiba inu reading appears to be more common.

References

  1. 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.