稲荷

Japanese

Kanji in this term
稲	荷
いな Grade: S	り Grade: 3
kun'yomi

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 might be ateji. The ri reading for this kanji is a non-Jōyō kun reading generally reserved for names.

Noun

稲(いな)荷(り) • (inari) 

1. a kind of sushi, wrapped in fried tofu, said to be liked by foxes

   See the 稲荷寿司(いなりずし) (inarizushi) entry for more details.

Proper noun

稲(いな)荷(り) • (Inari) 

1. (Shinto): 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