狛犬

Japanese
Kanji in this term
狛 犬
こま
Hyōgaiji		 いぬ
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Etymology

From 高麗(こま) (Koma, “Goguryeo; Korea”) + 犬(いぬ) (inu, “dog”).

Noun

狛(こま)犬(いぬ) • (komainu) 

A closed-mouth or un komainu.
  1. 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).

See also
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