狗

A phono-semantic compound:

犬 — semantic element meaning “dog / canine”

句 — phonetic element providing the sound "gu"

In early usage, 狗 specifically referred to a puppy or young dog, while 犬 was the general term for dogs.

Over time, this semantic distinction collapsed, and 狗 became the ordinary word for “dog” in Chinese.

Neutral / zoological:

애견 (愛狗) — pet dog

군견 (軍狗) — military dog

사냥견 (狩獵狗) — hunting dog

Pejorative / figurative:

개 같은 사람 (狗 같은 사람) — despicable person (colloquial)

주구 (走狗) — running dog; lackey, stooge

Dogs in East Asian tradition have ambivalent symbolism:

- loyalty, guarding (positive)

- filth, shamelessness, moral baseness (negative)

This duality explains why 狗 easily developed insulting meanings.

Related characters:

犬 — dog (formal, classical, scientific)

狼 — wolf

狐 — fox

獣 / 獸 — beast

畜 — livestock, animals under human control

Contrast 狗 vs 犬:

狗 — everyday speech (neutral)

犬 — classical / scientific (formal)

In modern Chinese, 狗 is spoken language, 犬 is technical.

In Japanese, 犬 dominates entirely.