狸 (lí) - Raccoon dog — a small, dog-like wild animal & used in names for animals and in folklore.

狸Tone 2

lí ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

狸 · lí

Raccoon dog — a small, dog-like wild animal native to East Asia, also refers to foxes in some contexts;

used in names for animals and in folklore.

Raccoon dog — a small, dog-like wild animalused in names for animals and in folklore.

Usage highlights

raccoon dogwildcat/foxtanukiraccoon dog furfox spiritold fox

Synonyms

  • 狐— fox (more common in idioms for cunning)
  • 貉— raccoon dog (alternative character, same animal)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The raccoon dog is a wild canid (狸).
  • In Japanese folklore, the tanuki is a shapeshifting creature (狸).
  • Some regions use 狸 to refer to wildcats or foxes (野狸).
  • The fur of the raccoon dog is sometimes used (狸毛).

Collocations

  • raccoon dog(狸)
  • wildcat/fox(野狸)
  • tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog)(狸)
  • raccoon dog fur(狸毛)
  • fox spirit(狸精)
  • old fox(老狸)

Idioms

  • The fox borrows the tiger's ferocity (狐假虎威) — though 狐 is more common, 狸 appears in variants
  • Fox and raccoon of the same hole(狐狸同穴)
  • A fox shouldn't pretend to be a tiger(狸猫充虎)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In East Asian folklore, 狸 (especially in Japanese as tanuki) is a trickster figure known for shapeshifting.
  • In Chinese context, 狸 often overlaps with 狐 (fox) in symbolic meaning, representing cunning or supernatural ability.
  • The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is a real animal whose fur was historically used in brush-making.

FAQ