虎
とら
hepburn tora
tiger
Part of speech · noun
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- 虎は強い動物です。Tigers are strong animals.
- 阪神タイガースが好きです。I like the Hanshin Tigers.
Collocations
虎 (tora, tiger)虎の巻 (tora no maki, "tiger scroll" — cheat sheet)酔虎 (suiko, drunkard — slang)虎視眈々 (koshi tantan, watching like a tiger)タイガース (Taigaasu, baseball Tigers)
Mnemonic
虎 tora — onyomi こ (ko): 虎視眈々 (koshi tantan, "tiger's gaze" = lying in wait). Idiom 虎の巻 (tora no maki, "tiger scroll") = a secret-tip book, study notes, or cheat sheet — students' nickname for exam prep books. Etymology: a scroll from the Chinese military classic 六韜. 阪神タイガース (Hanshin Tigers, founded 1935) is a Kansai-identity icon in pro baseball. 虎 ramifies from animal → stealth metaphor → cheat sheet → sports team. The kanji moves through animal, abstract, and everyday lexical clusters.
Quick check
Modern meaning of 虎の巻?