Meanings
Noun
1. the Rat (first sign of the Chinese zodiac)
2. hour of the Rat (around midnight, 11pm to 1am, or 12 midnight to 2am)
3. north
4. eleventh month of the lunar calendar
Alt. forms
Pitch accent
Used in vocabulary (11 in total)
Wood Rat (1st year of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1924, 1984, 2044)
Water Rat (49th year of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1912, 1972, 2032)
Metal Rat (37th year of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1960, 2020, 2080)
Fire Rat (13th year of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1936, 1996, 2056)
festival in honor of Daikokuten
day of the Rat (esp. the first day of the Rat in the New Year); (arch.) collecting herbs and pulling out young pine trees by the roots; (arch.) pine shoot pulled out by the roots
Earth Rat (25th year of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1948, 2008, 2068)
midnight
first Day of the Rat of the New Year; first Day of the Rat of the month (esp. of the 11th month)
collecting herbs and pulling out young pine trees by the roots (annual event held on the first day of the Rat of the New Year)
hour of the Rat (around midnight, 11pm to 1am, or 12 midnight to 2am)