Standard Lemma guide

kitsune

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kɪtˈsuː.neɪ/
  • /ˈkɪt.sʊ.neɪ/ closer to Japanese accentuation
  • /ˈkɪts.neɪ/ closer to Japanese accentuation
  • /kɪtˈsuː.ni/ anglicized
  • rare: /kɪtˈsuːn/ anglicized
  • /ˈkɪtsuːn/ anglicized
  • rhymes with -uːneɪ
  • rhymes with -uːni
  • rhymes with -uːn

1

noun

Meaning 1

A Japanese fox spirit, often but not exclusively female, said to have powers such as shape-shifting, and whose power is symbolized by increase in number of tails.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Japanese

Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Japanese 狐 (kitsune, “fox”).

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: كِيتْسُونِه (kītsūnih) — Japanese fox spirit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 狐 (hú) — Japanese fox spirit
  • Czech: kicune — Japanese fox spirit
  • Esperanto: kicuneo — Japanese fox spirit
  • Finnish: kitsune — Japanese fox spirit
  • French: kitsune — Japanese fox spirit
  • French: kitsuné — Japanese fox spirit
  • Georgian: კიცუნე (ḳicune) — Japanese fox spirit
  • Greek: κιτσούνε (kitsoúne) — Japanese fox spirit
  • Hungarian: kicune — Japanese fox spirit
  • Italian: kitsune — Japanese fox spirit
  • Japanese: 妖狐 (yōko) — Japanese fox spirit
  • Japanese: 天狐 (tenko) — Japanese fox spirit
  • Korean: 키츠네 (kicheune) — Japanese fox spirit
  • Latvian: kicune — Japanese fox spirit
  • Marathi: कित्सुने (kitsune) — Japanese fox spirit
  • Persian: کیتسونه (kitsune) — Japanese fox spirit
  • Russian: кицу́нэ (kicúnɛ) — Japanese fox spirit
  • Swedish: kitsune — Japanese fox spirit