狛犬
Japanese
editKanji in this term | |
---|---|
狛 | 犬 |
こま Hyōgai |
いぬ Grade: 1 |
kun'yomi |
Etymology
editFrom 高麗 (Koma, “Goguryeo; Korea”) + 犬 (inu, “dog”).
Noun
edit- 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 phrase alpha and omega).