noun
the Ox; second sign of the Chinese zodiac
Refers to the second sign of the twelve-year zodiac cycle, commonly seen in compounds such as 丑年. Do not confuse this with 牛, the animal 'ox; cow'.
彼女は丑年生まれです。
She was born in the Year of the Ox.
年賀状に丑の絵を描いた。
I drew a picture of the Ox on the New Year's card.
noun
hour of the Ox; around 2 a.m.
Obsolete time-keeping term, now mostly encountered in historical, literary, or fixed expressions such as 丑の刻. The exact modern-hour range may vary by explanation.
See also: 丑の刻
怪談では、丑の刻に不思議なことが起こる。
In ghost stories, strange things happen at the hour of the Ox.
noun
north-northeast
Obsolete directional use from traditional systems that assigned the Earthly Branches to directions; in modern ordinary speech one would normally say 北北東.
古い方位の説明では、丑は北北東を指す。
In explanations of old directional systems, 丑 indicates north-northeast.
noun
Obsolete calendrical use for the twelfth month of the lunar calendar; modern Japanese normally uses terms such as 十二月 or 陰暦十二月 instead.
古い暦では、丑が陰暦十二月を表すことがある。
In old calendars, 丑 can represent the twelfth month of the lunar calendar.
The ordinary word and kanji for an ox, cow, or cattle. 丑 is the zodiac or traditional calendrical sign, not the usual animal word.
A common compound meaning 'Year of the Ox'; it is one of the most practical contexts in which learners encounter 丑.
A fixed expression for the old 'hour of the Ox', roughly around 2 a.m.; more common as a phrase than the obsolete time sense of 丑 by itself.
丑 is the conventional character for the second of the twelve Earthly Branches in zodiac, calendrical, time, and direction systems. Its historical derivation is not specified; it should not be treated as the same spelling as 牛, the ordinary animal word.