稲荷

Japanese

Kanji in this term
稲	荷
いなり
Grade: S	Grade: 3
jukujikun

Alternative spelling
稻荷 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

/inanari/ → /inari/

Originally a compound of 稲 (ina, “rice plant”) +‎ 生り (nari), the stem form of verb 生る (naru, “to fruit, to go to seed”).

The 荷 character is ateji, in reference to "bearing".

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) いなり [íꜜnàrì] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ina̠ɾʲi]

Noun

稲荷(いなり) • (inari) 

1. Synonym of 狐 (kitsune, “fox, Vulpes”)
2. Synonym of 油揚げ (abura-age, “deep-fried tofu”)
3. Short for 稲荷鮨 (inari-zushi, “simmered deep fried tofu pockets filled with vinegared rice”).

Proper noun

稲荷(いなり) • (Inari) 

1. (Japanese mythology): god of harvests, fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes, industry, and worldly success
2. a surname
3. the name of various towns and stations around Japan

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 稲荷大神(いなりおおかみ) (Inari Ōkami): God Inari
• 稲荷鮨(いなりずし) (inarizushi): sushi wrapped in fried tofu
• 稲荷神社(いなりじんじゃ) (Inari jinja): a shrine dedicated to the god Inari, usually with a statue of a fox in front
• 稲荷講(いなりこう) (Inari Kō): an Inari shrine association in Kyōto