# 狸

| 狸 | U+72F8, &#29432; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-72F8 |
| ← 狷 [U+72F7] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 狹 → [U+72F9] |

## Translingual
### Han character

狸 (Kangxi radical 94, 犬+7, 10 strokes, cangjie input 大竹田土 (KHWG), four-corner 4621$_4$, composition ⿰犭里)

#### Derived characters

* 𭉭, 䔆, 𮦦, 𩮞, 𢟆

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 711, character 29
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 20427
* Dae Jaweon: page 1123, character 27
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1348, character 11
* Unihan data for U+72F8

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

| | Old Chinese |
| 埋 | *mrɯː |
| 霾 | *mrɯː |
| 薶 | *mrɯː |
| 榸 | *ʔr'ɯː |
| 厘 | *rɯ |
| 狸 | *rɯ |
| 貍 | *p·rɯ |
| 梩 | *rɯ |
| 艃 | *rɯ |
| 里 | *rɯʔ |
| 理 | *rɯʔ |
| 鯉 | *rɯʔ |
| 俚 | *rɯʔ |
| 悝 | *rɯʔ, *km̥ʰlɯː |
| 娌 | *rɯʔ |
| 裏 | *rɯʔ |
| 荲 | *r̥ʰɯɡ, *l̥ʰuɡ, *hluɡ |
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *rɯ) : semantic 犬 (“dog”) + phonetic 里 (OC *rɯʔ). Originally an unorthodox variant (俗字) of the character 貍 (lí).

### Etymology

Uncertain. Here some proposals:
* Fangyan and Guo Pu consider it to be one among many dialectal words for 貔 (OC *bi), which however is a different word (Schuessler, 2007) (see there).
* Zhao & Huang (1998) (apud Schuessler, 2007) connects it to Hmong pli ~ ple "cat".
* Schuessler (2007) minimally reconstructs 貍 (OC *rə) from *pʰrə ~ *pʰə-rə and proposes possible Sino-Tibetan etymology and compares it to Mru pri (“a kind of leopard”) (see also Löffler, 1966); he also sees potential cognacy with Tibetan ཞི་མི (zhi mi), ཞིམ་བུ (zhim bu), ཞུམ་བུ (zhum bu) - all meaning "cat" - if those were from *ryi-mi; additionally, པི་ཤི (pi shi, “cat”) (< *zhi?) is possibly equivalent to Old Chinese dialectal forms with initial *pʰ- (e.g. 𧳏 (pī) < LHC *pʰiə < OC *pʰrə or 𧳏貍／𧳏狸 (pīlí)); in that case, the original Chinese word might have been a compound: 貔狸 "(large) cat and small cat"; even so, see 貔 (OC *bi) for possible Indic influence on Tibetan byi ~ pi (ibid.).
* STEDT reconstructs Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-(l/r)e(y/ŋ) (“squirrel, weasel”) and proposes cognacy with 鼪 (OC *sreŋ, *sreŋs), Tibetan སྲེ་མོང (sre mong, “weasel”), Burmese ရှဉ့် (hrany., “squirrel”), etc.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): lí (li$^2$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄌㄧˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): lei$^4$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): lì
    (Hailu, HRS): li
    (Meixian, Guangdong): li$^2$
* Jin (Wiktionary): li$^1$
* Northern Min (KCR): lǐ / sâ̤
* Eastern Min (BUC): lì
* Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): li$^2$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): lî
    (Teochew, Peng'im): li$^5$ / lai$^5$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^6$li
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): li$^2$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: lí
*** Zhuyin: ㄌㄧˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: lí
*** Wade–Giles: li$^2$
*** Yale: lí
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: li
*** Palladius: ли (li)
*** Sinological IPA : /li³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: lei$^4$
*** Yale: lèih
*** Cantonese Pinyin: lei$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: léi$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /lei̯²¹/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: lì
*** Hakka Romanization System: li$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: li$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /li¹¹/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: li
*** Sinological IPA: /li⁵⁵/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: li$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /li¹¹/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: li$^1$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /li¹¹/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: lǐ / sâ̤
*** Sinological IPA : /li²¹/, /sɛ³³/
* lǐ - literary;
* sâ̤ - vernacular.
* Middle Chinese: li
Rime :
| Character | 狸 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 來 (37) |
| Final (韻) | 之 (19) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | III |
| Fanqie | 里之切 |
| Baxter | li |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /lɨ/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /lɨ/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /lie/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /lɨ/ |
| Li Rong | /liə/ |
| Wang Li | /lĭə/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /li/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | lí |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | lei$^4$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[r]ə/, /*p.rə/
    (Zhengzhang): /*rɯ/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 狸 | 狸 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 2/2 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | lí | lí |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ li › | ‹ li › |
| Old Chinese | /*[r]ə/ | /*p.rə/ |
| English | 𧳏狸 *pə.[r]ə kind of wild cat (Jiāngnán pron. ap. Guō Pú, ca. 300 CE) | kind of wild cat (pron. west of the Hángǔ pass, ap. Fāngyán) |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. |||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 狸 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 7822 |
| Phonetic component | 里 |
| Rime group | 之 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 釐 |
| Old Chinese | /*rɯ/ |
| Notes | 俗貍字 |

### Definitions

狸
* leopard cat
    From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE
    Zǐ dú bù jiàn lí shēng hū? [Pinyin]
    Have you not seen a wildcat or a weasel?
* raccoon dog
* (obsolete) cat

### Compounds

* 以狸餌鼠 / 以狸饵鼠
* 果子狸 (guǒzilí)
* 河狸 (hélí)
* 海狸 (hǎilí)
* 海狸鼠
* 狐狸
* 狐狸尾巴
* 狐狸狗
* 狐狸精 (húlijīng)
* 狸子 (lízi)
* 狸狌 (líshēng)
* 狸藻 (lízǎo)
* 狸貓 / 狸猫 (límāo)
* 發屋求狸 / 发屋求狸
* 老狐狸
* 花狸狐哨
* 花面狸
* 野狐狸

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Hyōgai kanji)
* raccoon dog
* wild cat

#### Readings

* Go-on: り (ri)
* Kan-on: り (ri)
* Kun: たぬき (tanuki, 狸)

#### Compounds

* 海(かい)狸(り) (kairi)
* 屈狸(クズリ) (kuzuri)
* 狐狸(こり) (kori)
* 狐狗狸(こっくり) (kokkuri)

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 狸
* たぬき Hyōgai
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 貍
According to one theory, derived from 手貫 (tanuki, “arm glove, gauntlet”), which raccoon dog hide was sometimes used for.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) たぬき [táꜜnùkì] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [ta̠nɯ̟kʲi]

#### Noun

狸(たぬき) or 狸(タヌキ) • (tanuki)
* a raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides
    Synonyms: マミ (mami), 狢 (mujina)
** 938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō:狸 兼名苑云狸［音𨤲和名太奴木］摶鳥為粮者也Raccoon dog: According to Jian Ming Yuan (兼名苑), raccoon dogs [read as 𨤲 (ri), native Japanese 太奴木 (tanuki)] always prey on birds.
** 2020 March 21, Kazuki Nakashima, “Rabbit Town”, in BNA ビー・エヌ・エー [BNA], episode 2, spoken by Shirou Ogami (Yoshimasa Hosoya), Toho/Netflix:
    アライグマなら尻(しっ)尾(ぽ)にシマがある。どう見(み)でもタヌキだ。
       Araiguma nara shippo ni shima ga aru. Dō mi demo tanuki da.
       If you're a raccoon, you'd have stripes on your tail. No matter how you look at it, you're a raccoon dog.
* (figurative) a person who pretends to be good but in fact is cunning (compare English sly fox)
** 1717, Kokusen'ya gonichi gassen (jōruri), volume 3
    やいやい、其処(そこ)な狸(たぬき)め
       yai yai, soko na tanuki me
       Hey there, you sly dog!
* Short for 狸饂飩 (tanuki-udon) and 狸蕎麦 (tanuki-soba): styles of various noodle dishes
* (rare) Short for 狸寝入り (tanuki neiri): pretending to be asleep
    狸(たぬき)を決(き)め込(こ)む ― tanuki o kimekomu ― pretend to be a raccoon dog → feign sleep
* (rare, obsolete) Short for 狸汁 (tanuki-jiru): a soup made from tanuki meat mixed with daikon, burdock root, etc.

##### Usage notes

* As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as タヌキ.

##### Derived terms

* 狸(タヌキ)菖蒲(アヤメ) (tanuki ayame)
* 狸(たぬき)饂飩(うどん) (tanuki-udon)
* 狸(たぬき)親(おや)父(じ) (tanuki oyaji)
* 狸(たぬき)顔(がお) (tanukigao)
* 狸(たぬき)狩(が)り (tanukigari)
* 狸(たぬき)小(こう)路(じ) (Tanuki Kōji)
* 狸(たぬき)爺(じじい) (tanukijijī)
* 狸(たぬき)汁(じる) (tanuki-jiru)
* 狸(たぬき)蕎(そ)麦(ば) (tanuki-soba)
* 狸(たぬき)憑(つ)き (tanukitsuki)
* 狸(たぬき)寝(ね) (tanukine)
* 狸(たぬき)寝入(ねい)り (tanuki neiri)
* 狸(たぬき)の燭(しょく)台(だい) (tanuki no shokudai)
* 狸(たぬき)の茶(ちゃ)袋(ぶくろ) (tanuki no chabukuro)
* 狸(たぬき)婆(ばばあ) (tanukibabā)
* 狸(たぬき)囃(ばや)子(し) (tanukibayashi)
* 狸(たぬき)笛(ぶえ) (tanukibue)
* 狸(たぬき)掘(ぼ)り (tanukibori)
* 狸(タヌキ)豆(マメ) (tanukimame)
* 狸(タヌキ)藻(モ) (tanukimo)
* 狸(タヌキ)蘭(ラン) (tanukiran)
* 飴(あめ)細(ざい)工(く)の狸(たぬき) (amezaiku no tanuki)
* 射(い)狸(だぬき) (Idanuki)
* 岩(いわ)狸(だぬき) (iwadanuki)
* 海(うみ)狸(だぬき) (umidanuki)
* 面(おも)白(しろ)狸(だぬき) (omoshiro-danuki)
* 隠(かくし)狸(だぬき) (Kakushidanuki)
* 狐(きつね)と狸(たぬき) (kitsune to tanuki)
* 初(はつ)午(うま)の狸(たぬき) (hatsūma no tanuki)
* 古(ふる)狸(だぬき) (furudanuki)
* 本(ホン)土(ド)狸(タヌキ) (hondo tanuki)
* 豆(まめ)狸(だぬき) (mamedanuki)
* 貒(み)狸(だぬき) (midanuki)

###### Idioms

* 狸(たぬき)の睾(きん)丸(たま)八(はち)畳(じょう)敷(じき) (tanuki no kintama hachijōjiki)
* 同(おな)じ穴(あな)の狸(たぬき) (onaji ana no tanuki)
* 取(と)らぬ狸(たぬき)の皮(かわ)算(ざん)用(よう) (toranu tanuki no kawazan'yō)

###### Proverbs

* 狸(たぬき)の燭(しょく)台(だい) (tanuki no shokudai)
* 狸(たぬき)の腹(はら)鼓(つづみ) (tanuki no haratsuzumi)
* 狐(きつね)と狸(たぬき)の化(ば)かし合(あ)い (kitsune to tanuki no bakashi ai)
* 豺(さい)狼(ろう)路(みち)に当(あ)たれり，安(いずく)んぞ狐狸(こり)を問(と)わん (sairō michi ni atareri, izukunzo kori o towan)
* 鹿(しか)待(ま)つ所(ところ)の狸(たぬき) (shika matsu tokoro no tanuki)

###### Descendants

* → English: tanuki, tanooki

###### See also

* 穴(アナ)熊(グマ) (anaguma, “badger”)
* 洗(アライ)熊(グマ) (araiguma, “raccoon”)
* 犬(イヌ) (inu, “dog”)
* 狐(キツネ) (kitsune, “fox”)
* 猫(ネコ) (neko, “cat”)

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 狸
* たたけ Hyōgai
* irregular
* Alternative spelling
* 狸毛
⟨tatake$_2$⟩ → */tatakəɨ/ → /tatake/
From Old Japanese.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ta̠ta̠ke̞]

#### Noun

狸(たたけ) or 狸(たたげ) • (tatake or tatage)
* (archaic, obsolete) a raccoon dog
** 794, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki:猫狸 [...] ニ又漢云野貍、倭言上尼古、下多〻既Cat and raccoon dog, [...] both of them are called 野貍 (yari) in Chinese; the former is called 尼古 (⟨neko$_1$⟩ → neko) while the latter is called 多〻既 (⟨tatake$_2$⟩ → tatake) in Japanese.
* (archaic, obsolete) the hair of a raccoon dog, used for making brushes
** 1445, Ainōshō, published 1446:タゝゲノ筆(フデ)ナンド云(イフ)。タゝ毛(ゲ)トハ。タヌキノ毛歟(ケカ)。狸(タヌキ)ノ字(ジ)ヲ。タゝゲトヨムTatage no fude nando iu. Tatage to wa, tanuki no ke ka. Tanuki no ji o, tatage to yomuThis is a so-called brush [made] of tatage. Tatage [spelled by the character 毛 meaning "hair"] might mean the hair of a raccoon dog. The 狸 character for "raccoon dog" is read as tatage.(please add an English translation of this quotation)

### Etymology 3

* Kanji in this term
* 狸
* たのき Hyōgai
* irregular
Cognate with tanuki above.
Considered to be a result of irregular apophony in the medieval times.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ta̠no̞kʲi]

#### Noun

狸(たのき) • (tanoki)
* (dated, dialectal, Western Japan, chiefly Kansai) a raccoon dog
** c. 1529, Mōgyūshō
    ししやたのきの様(やう)な人(ひと)でをり候(さうらう)ぞ
       Shishi ya tanoki no yō na hito de ori sōrō zo
       His personality is like a deer or raccoon dog, sir.
* (dated, dialectal, Kansai) Short for 狸饂飩 (tanoki-udon) and 狸蕎麦 (tanoki-soba): styles of various noodle dishes

##### See also

* 狐(けつね) (ketsune, “fox”, Kansai)

### References

* ↑ “タヌキ／狸／たぬき”, in 語源由来辞典 (Gogen Yurai Jiten, “Etymology Derivation Dictionary”) (in Japanese), 2003–2025.
* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
* ↑ “狸”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

## Korean
### Hanja

狸 • (ri>i) (hangeul 리>이, revised ri>i, McCune–Reischauer ri>i, Yale li>i)
* (너구리 리, neoguri-): raccoon dog

#### Synonyms

* 山獺 (산달, sandal)

## Okinawan
### Kanji

(Hyōgai kanji)

#### Readings

* Kun: たぬき (tanuki, 狸)

### Etymology

Attested in the 沖縄語典 (Okinawa Goten, “Okinawan Dictionary”) as たぬき.

### Noun

狸(たぬき) (tanuki)
* raccoon dog

### References

* ↑ Nakamoto, Masayo (中本政世) (1896) 沖縄語典 [Documentation of the Language of Okinawa], Hikone (彦根市): Eishōdō (永昌堂), →DOI, page 63

## Vietnamese
### Han character

狸: Hán Nôm readings: li
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.