Where does “狛犬” come from?
狛犬 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 犬, from Old Japanese いぬ.
狛犬 (Japanese): 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 ph
Definitions
- 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 ph
Ancestry of “狛犬”, step by step
狛犬 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 高麗
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 高麗 | indicates something that was originally imported... |