狛犬

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 狛犬. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 狛犬, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 狛犬 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 狛犬 you have here. The definition of the word 狛犬 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of狛犬, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
こま
Hyōgai
いぬ
Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Etymology

From 高麗(こま) (Koma, Goguryeo; Korea) + (いぬ) (inu, dog).

Noun

(こま)(いぬ) (komainu

A closed-mouth or un komainu.
  1. A lion-dog or shrine dog; a guardian statue seen in temples. Usually found in pairs, one on either side of an entryway, one with the mouth open to represent the syllable a or the start of things, and the other with the mouth closed to represent the syllable un or the end of things (similar to the phrase alpha and omega).

See also