Japanese Word for
狼ōkami
wolf
Readings
Meaning
Wolf. 狼 (ōkami) is the standard word for wolf. The Japanese wolf (ニホンオオカミ, Nihon ōkami) went extinct in 1905, but the animal remains deeply embedded in Japanese mythology and culture.
Example words
狼煙
noroshi
signal fire, smoke signal
一匹狼
ippiki ōkami
lone wolf
狼狽
rōbai
confusion, panic, fluster
山犬
yamainu
mountain dog, wolf (alternate term)
In Japanese folklore, the wolf (大神, also written ōkami — "great god") was worshipped as a protector deity at mountain shrines, especially Mitsumine Shrine in Saitama. The Shinto deity Ōkami appears in Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke as the great wolf god Moro.
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