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犬も食わない (いぬもくわない) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, i-adjective
avoided by everyone ; disliked by everyone
idiomatic expression
Idiomatic expression meaning that even a dog would not touch it, used for things or situations that are so unpleasant or troublesome that everyone steers clear. Often used in the phrase 夫婦喧嘩は犬も食わない (a marital quarrel is something even a dog won't touch).
That fight between those two is something nobody wants to get involved in.
Written forms 犬いぬ も 食く わない
Standard kanji spelling for this idiomatic expression.
犬いぬ も 喰く わない
Variant using 喰う, a kanji for eating that can add a rougher or more emphatic nuance.
犬いぬ もくわない
Kana spelling of the verb part; common in casual writing.
Kanji 喰 eat, drink, receive (a blow) Etymology The phrase literally means 'even a dog won't eat it,' based on the idea that dogs will eat almost anything. It is used idiomatically to describe something so unappealing or troublesome that everyone avoids it. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a well-established Japanese idiom.
