Chinese

Noun

獅子

1. lion   (Classifier: 隻／只 m; 頭／头 m)
2. bodhisattva

Related terms

• 老虎 (lǎohǔ)
• 獅虎／狮虎 (shīhǔ)

Pronunciation 2

Proper noun

獅子

1. (astrology, astronomy) Leo

Japanese

Etymology

From Middle Chinese.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• IPA^(key): [ɕiɕi]

Alternative forms

• 師子

Noun

獅子 ‎(hiragana しし, katakana シシ, romaji shishi)

1. a lion, Panthera leo, regarded as king of animals
2. (by extension from the "king" sense) the Buddha, a Buddha
3. short for 獅子舞 ‎(shishimai), a traditional Chinese lion dance
4. short for 獅子頭 ‎(shishigashira), the lion mask traditionally worn for the lion dance
5. short for 除夜の獅子 ‎(joya no shishi, “New Year's lion”), a person dressed in costume as for a lion dance who goes door to door begging on New Year's Eve
6. a guardian statue commonly found outside temples and shrines, often with a komainu statue, the tradition for which is said to have come over from the Korean peninsula

Synonyms

• (animal): ライオン ‎(raion)
• (Buddha): 仏 (ほとけ) ‎(hotoke)

Derived terms

• 獅子猿 (ししざる) ‎(shishizaru): lion tamarin

Related terms

• (statue): 狛犬 (こまいぬ) ‎(komainu)

Proper noun

獅子 ‎(hiragana しし, romaji Shishi)

1. the name of the lion dance 囃子 ‎(hayashi, “musical accompaniment”) in various noh and kabuki plays
2. the first piece of music played in a 伎楽 ‎(gigaku) performance (more commonly spelled 師子)

Vietnamese

Noun

獅子

1. Hán tự form of sư tử, “lion”