稲荷

Etymology

/inanari/ → /inari/

Originally a compound of 稲 (ina, “rice plant”) +‎ 生り (nari), the stem form of verb 生る (naru, “to fruit, to go to seed”).

The 荷 character might be ateji. The ri reading for this kanji is a non-Jōyō kun reading generally reserved for names.

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) い​なり [íꜜnàrì] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
  • IPA^(key): [ina̠ɾʲi]

Noun

稲荷 (hiragana いなり, rōmaji inari)

1. a kind of sushi, wrapped in fried tofu, said to be liked by foxes

   See the 稲荷寿司 (いなりずし) (inarizushi) entry for more details.

Proper noun

稲荷 (hiragana いなり, rōmaji Inari)

1. (Shinto): god of harvests, fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes, industry, and worldly success
2. A surname​.
3. the name of various towns and stations around Japan

References