What does “inu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “inu” to mean ‘dog’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese movies, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “inu” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “inu”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “inu”.
- inu – 犬 (いぬ) : a noun meaning ‘dog’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to a dog or dogs in Japanese. In addition, they sometimes use this as a metaphor for someone obeying someone else or something blindly. In this case, this can be a sarcastic expression.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this noun through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “dog” in Japanese
boku no inu wa totemo kawaii desu – 僕の犬はとても可愛いです (ぼくのいぬはとてもかわいいです)
My dog is very cute.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after the noun phrase, “boku no inu”, to make the subject in the sentence.
- totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this is used before “kawaii” to emphasize its meaning.
- kawaii – 可愛い (かわいい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘cute’ in Japanese.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “kawaii” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “inu”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “boku no inu”, which means ‘my dog’ in Japanese. When we want to say “dog” or “dogs” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “inu”
kare wa kaisha no inu desu ne – 彼は会社の犬ですね (かれはかいしゃのいぬですね)
He is the company’s lap dog, isn’t he?
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- kaisha – 会社 (かいしゃ) : a noun meaning ‘company’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- ne – ね : a sentence-ending particle used to ask for agreement in a soft way. This has been reflected as “isn’t he?” in the English sentence.
This is another typical usage of “inu”. In this example, it works as a metaphor for the guy obeying the company blindly. So, it has been translated into English as “lap dog”. When we want to make a sarcastic expression referring to someone obeying someone else or something blindly, “inu” is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “inu” and its usages through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- inu – 犬 (いぬ) : a noun meaning ‘dog’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to a dog or dogs in Japanese. In addition, they sometimes use this as a metaphor for someone obeying someone else or something blindly. In this case, this can be a sarcastic expression.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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