私の犬
watashi no inu
The English phrase "my dog" is translated into Japanese as 私の犬 (watashi no inu).
私の犬 is used to refer to a dog that belongs to the speaker. Another way to express the idea of "the dog I own" is to use the phrase 飼っている犬.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the pronoun 私 (I), the possessive particle の (of) and 犬 (dog).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For males in casual or semi-formal settings, 僕の犬 is a common alternative. For very informal or slangy speech among close male friends, 俺の犬 can be used. For an informal way to say "my dog", you can also use うちの犬.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle の functions as a possessive marker, linking the owner to the dog, similar to the English word "of" or the "'s" suffix.
How do you pronounce it?
watashi no inu
Did you know?
- Japanese uses a different word, 愛犬 (aiken), which literally translates to 'love-dog', to specifically mean 'my beloved dog'.
- The word 犬 can be used in the idiom 犬に媚びる to mean 'to flatter' or 'to brown-nose', regardless of whether an actual dog is present.
- If you want to sound more endearing, you might avoid the word 犬 (dog) altogether and use ワンちゃん (doggy) when speaking to or about your pet in casual settings.
Examples in context
- これが私の犬よ。This is my dog.Tatoeba #10802357 by small_snow, translation #67056 by CK
- 私の犬は死んだ。My dog died.Tatoeba #12962644 by Inu, translation #7733949 by CK
- あれは私の犬です。That is my dog.Tatoeba #229696 by small_snow, translation #1549917 by miflhanc
- わたしの犬は元気です。My dog is energetic.
- 飼っている犬の名前はハチです。The name of my dog is Hachi.
- うちの犬はとても可愛いよ。My dog is very cute, you know.
- ワンちゃんは私の癒しです。My dog is my healing source.
- うちのいぬはめっちゃ元気やで。My dog is really energetic, you know (Kansai dialect).
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hime and Yota are talking about pets in a park.
- 陽葵 Himari私の犬と一緒に散歩しています。Watashi no inu to issho ni sanpo shite imasu.I am taking a walk with my dog.
- 陽太 Yota可愛いですね。名前は何ですか？Kawaī desu ne. Namae wa nan desu ka?It's cute. What is its name?
- 陽葵 Himariチョコと言います。Choko to iimasu.Its name is Choko.
- 陽太 Yotaいい名前ですね。Ii namae desu ne.That's a nice name.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
