How to Say "Dog" in Japanese - How To Say Guide

犬

inu[inɯ̟]

The Japanese word for dog is 犬 (inu). Wiktionary also lists 狗 (inu).

Meaning: animal (noun)

Ways to say it

“dog” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
犬	inu	[inɯ̟] (narrow)
狗	inu	[e̞nɯ̟] (narrow)

The standard way to say dog is 犬.

inu

In Japanese culture, the komainu are stone lion-dogs that guard the entrances to Shinto shrines to ward off evil spirits.
One theory suggests the word 犬 comes from an ancient verb meaning 'to leave' or 'to be gone', referring to a dog that stays behind to guard a house while its master departs.
The kanji used for dog, 犬, is a pictograph that evolved from an ancient drawing representing the shape of a dog.

猛犬に注意！
Beware of the dog!
This sentence is useful for seeing how to warn someone about a fierce dog using 犬.
Tatoeba #80167 by bunbuku, translation #323550 by CK
犬が吠えた。
The dog barked.
This sentence is useful for describing the action of a dog barking using 犬.
Tatoeba #7422003 by Ninja, translation #2252571 by CK
大きな犬ね。
It's a big dog.
This sentence is useful for describing a large dog using 犬.
Tatoeba #11029578 by small_snow, translation #2661312 by shekitten
「こちらは私の友人のいぬです。」
This is my friend's dog.
「かわいいいぬだね！」
That's a cute dog!
「いぬと遊ぶのが好きです。」
I love playing with dogs.
682 more sentences on Tatoeba

Hiroto and Misaki are walking in a park.

大翔 Hiroto

あそこの犬、とてもかわいいね。
Asoko no inu, totemo kawaii ne.
That dog over there is very cute, isn't it?
美咲 Misaki

本当だね。種類は何かな。
Hontō da ne. Shurui wa nani kana.
It really is. I wonder what breed it is.
大翔 Hiroto

僕は犬を飼いたいと思っているよ。
Boku wa inu o kaitai to omotte iru yo.
I'm thinking that I want to have a dog.
美咲 Misaki

いいと思うよ。一緒に探そうか。
Ii to omou yo. Issho ni sagasō ka.
I think that's a great idea. Shall we look for one together?

Sources

Wiktionary, “dog” translations and entries 犬, 狗, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries 犬, 狗, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏