Kanji for Panther

The kanji most commonly used for "Panther" is 豹.

豹

Kanji that mean Panther

豹

leopard, panther

Onyomi: hoh, hyoh 10 strokes Jinmeiyō

豹 (hyō) covers both the leopard and the panther — Japanese does not split the two; a black panther is 黒豹, “black hyō”. The character combines the beast radical 豸 with 勺, and it has meant the spotted big cat since classical Chinese.

Its most famous appearance is the proverb 君子は豹変す — “the noble man changes like the panther”, from the I Ching. The original sense is positive: as the panther’s coat grows vivid when it moults, a superior person corrects their conduct decisively. Modern usage of 豹変 has drifted toward “sudden (often suspicious) change of attitude”, so the word cuts both ways.

豹 is not one of the zodiac animals and is rare in names, which keeps it exotic even to Japanese eyes: a character you choose for the animal itself — speed, stealth, and the beauty of the coat.

Before you use Panther kanji

豹 reads unambiguously as leopard/panther and has no vulgar or unlucky senses. Be aware of 豹変 — "to change suddenly like a panther" — which a Japanese reader may associate with an abrupt about-face; the single character alone, though, is simply the animal.

Other meanings to explore

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