犬 — Kanji Reference

犬 (dog): 4 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ケン. Kun: いぬ.

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犬

Property Value
Meaning dog
Strokes 4
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) ケン
Kun-reading (訓読み) いぬ
Radical 大 (dai) + dot — [U+72AC]

Stroke Order

The stroke order for 犬 follows standard Japanese calligraphy rules (top-to-bottom, left-to-right):

  1. Stroke 1: The horizontal line (top).
  2. Stroke 2: The diagonal stroke starting from the center and moving down-left.
  3. Stroke 3: The diagonal stroke starting from the center and moving down-right.
  4. Stroke 4: The small "dot" (ten) on the top-right side.

Note: The dot is added last, representing the dog's head or ear.

Radical Analysis

The kanji 犬 is a pictograph representing a dog. The radical is 犬 (いぬ) itself, often referred to as kemono-hen (けものへん) when it appears on the left side of other kanji (like 猫 or 猛). It depicts a standing dog with its head, body, and tail. The dot (stroke 4) distinguishes it from the kanji 大 (big/large).

Mnemonic

Imagine the kanji 大 (big). Now, imagine a big dog running around. It’s so excited that a little flea (the dot) just jumped onto its head! That little dot makes the "big" thing a "dog" (犬).

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ケン (Ken)

Word Reading Romaji English
猛犬 猛もう犬けん mōken fierce dog
番犬 番ばん犬けん banken watchdog
愛犬 愛あい犬けん aiken pet dog
盲導犬 盲もう導どう犬けん mōdōken guide dog

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

いぬ (Inu)

Word Reading Romaji English
子犬 子こ犬いぬ koinu puppy
野良犬 野の良ら犬いぬ norainu stray dog

JLPT N5 Words Using 犬

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
犬 犬いぬ inu dog N5
子犬 子こ犬いぬ koinu puppy N5
番犬 番ばん犬けん banken watchdog N4
愛犬 愛あい犬けん aiken pet dog N3
猛犬 猛もう犬けん mōken fierce dog N3
盲導犬 盲もう導どう犬けん mōdōken guide dog N3
猟犬 猟りょう犬けん ryōken hunting dog N2
警察犬 警けい察さつ犬けん keisatsuken police dog N2

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
庭に犬がいます。 庭にわに犬いぬがいます。 Niwa ni inu ga imasu. There is a dog in the garden.
私は犬が大好きです。 私わたしは犬いぬが大だい好すきです。 Watashi wa inu ga daisuki desu. I love dogs.
子犬が走っています。 子こ犬いぬが走はしっています。 Koinu ga hashitte imasu. A puppy is running.
番犬に注意してください。 番ばん犬けんに注ちゅう意いしてください。 Banken ni chūi shite kudasai. Please beware of the watchdog.
盲導犬はとても賢いです。 盲もう導どう犬けんはとても賢かしこいです。 Mōdōken wa totemo kashikoi desu. Guide dogs are very smart.
散歩中に犬に会いました。 散さん歩ぽ中ちゅうに犬いぬに会あいました。 Sanpochū ni inu ni aimashita. I met a dog while taking a walk.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
犬 いぬ dog Has a dot on the top right.
大 おお(きい) big No dot; looks like a person with arms spread.
太 ふと(い) fat/thick Has a dot at the bottom; means "thick/fat."

Usage Frequency Note

犬 is a very high-frequency kanji. It is one of the first animals children learn in school and is used frequently in daily conversation, news, and literature. Because it is a basic pictograph, it is easily recognized and used in many compound words related to animals and service roles.