kitsune

\ki.tsu.ne\

/\ki.tsu.ne\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“kitsune” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Nom générique donné au renard dans la culture japonaise. Le renard est l’envoyé d’Inari, divinité associée à la céréaliculture, et la riziculture. Souvent présenté comme une Créature du folklore do...

Key facts for kitsune
PropertyValue
Headwordkitsune
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ki.tsu.ne\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “kitsune” sits in French frequency

kitsune falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

kitsune is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ki.tsu.ne\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for kitsune, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is kitsune, spelled K-I-T-S-U-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nom générique donné au renard dans la culture japonaise. Le renard est l’envoyé d’Inari, divinité associée à la céréaliculture, et la riziculture. Souvent présenté comme une Créature du folklore dotée de pouvoirs de métamorphose et d’illusions, pouvant avoir jusqu’à neuf queues.
  2. 2
    Renard doté de pouvoirs magiques issu du folklore asiatique, doté de pouvoir de métamorphose et pouvant avoir plusieurs queues. Note : Parfois considéré comme un abus de langage. référence nécessaire (résoudre le problème)

Synonyms

Esprit-renardDémon-renard

This word in other languages

kitsune(English)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "kitsune"?
"kitsune" is spelled K-I-T-S-U-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ki.tsu.ne\.
What does "kitsune" mean?
As a noun, "kitsune" means: Nom générique donné au renard dans la culture japonaise. Le renard est l’envoyé d’Inari, divinité associée à la céréaliculture, et la riziculture. Souvent présenté comme une Créature du folklore do...
How do you pronounce "kitsune"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kitsune" is \ki.tsu.ne\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "kitsune" come from?
"kitsune" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “kitsune”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is K-I-T-S-U-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ki.tsu.ne\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list