Is "A Dog That Walks Bumps into a Stick" Bad Luck or Good? Japanese Dog Sayings

You meet a dog you know on a walk and laugh, "A dog that walks bumps into a stick, right?" Has that ever happened to you? It is a saying Japanese people often use in such moments, but it is not easy to explain its meaning on the spot. In fact, this proverb has been read in two opposite ways: "running into bad luck" and "running into good luck."

This article traces the origins of dog-related words, based on materials from the National Diet Library, universities and local governments. Besides proverbs, it covers plant names you see along autumn walking paths and theories about the dog name "Pochi." The Inucomi editors checked the materials as of October 20, 2026.

"A dog that walks bumps into a stick" was the first card of the Edo iroha karuta

"A dog that walks bumps into a stick" (inu mo arukeba bo ni ataru) is a proverb long loved as the first card of the Edo iroha karuta. Iroha karuta is a card game based on the iroha, an old ordering of the Japanese syllabary, and this card comes first because inu (dog) begins with i. From the Taisho era (1912 to 1926) onward, iroha karuta itself also came to be called "inu-bo karuta" (dog-and-stick cards).

According to exhibition materials from the National Diet Library's Kansai-kan, the proverbs chosen for the cards differed between Kamigata (the Kyoto-Osaka area) and Edo (present-day Tokyo). "A dog that walks" was used in the Edo iroha karuta, and the Edo cards later became the mainstream. Many Kamigata versions used other sayings.

Bad luck or good luck: two opposite readings

Kenji Watanabe of Jiyu Gakuen (Dean as of 2018) writes that this proverb has had two interpretations since the Edo period (1603 to 1868). One is that if you act too boldly, you will run into trouble, like a dog being struck with a stick. The other is that if you wander about without a purpose, you may run into some good luck.

Professor Naoto Yoshikai of Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts (title as of 2013) touches on the original meaning in a column. He writes that it originally meant, "If you wander about with no business, you will get into trouble, so stay still."

The same column also introduces a sugoroku board game from the early Meiji era (1868 to 1912), "Shinpan Iroha Tatoe Sugoroku." In this game, the word for "stick" (bo) is replaced with a word for "little boy" (bo), and it shows a dog receiving a sweet from a child. The picture even includes a line from the dog: "Walk around and you'll come upon good fortune (kaho)."

Professor Yoshikai says this shows a new interpretation: "If you go out and about, you will come upon unexpected good fortune."

Why "like dog and monkey"?

Ken'en no naka (literally "the relationship of dog and monkey") describes people on very bad terms, much like "fighting like cats and dogs." One view is that it spread because in folk tales the dog is often on people's side and the monkey is often the villain. A special exhibition guide from the Institute of Folklore Studies at Seijo University also mentions the folk tale "Shippei Taro." In this tale, a sacred dog with mysterious powers defeats a monkey monster.

The guide speculates that this may be how the saying came to be widely used. On the other hand, it says that in folk beliefs, dogs and monkeys were seen as having very similar natures.

According to the guide, monkeys were revered as messengers of the gods and, together with wordplay on saru (monkey) and saru (to go away), were believed to have the power to ward off evil. Dogs, too, were revered as animals that drive away evil. Because dogs were thought to have easy births, a custom arose of holding obi-iwai, a ceremony in which an expectant mother wears a maternity sash, on the Day of the Dog, which comes every 12 days in the traditional calendar.

Dogs and monkeys are used as a symbol of bad relations, yet in the world of folk belief, both have been seen as animals that keep evil away.

Does "inu" in plant names mean "useless"?

The "inu" (dog) in plant names does not always mean "useless"; some plants got the name because their shape resembles part of a dog's body. According to a column by Nishitokyo City, these names fall into two broad types.

However, the column says the names were not given because dogs are useless. It says the leading theory is that the sound of a word meaning "not" or "different" (similar but different) changed into "inu" and became fixed in plant names.

Inutade, which bears pink, rice-grain-like flowers from June to October, is another plant with "inu" in its name. Material from the National Museum of Nature and Science explains that because its leaves are not spicy when chewed, it was given the name "inu," meaning "good for nothing." According to the Tama Forest Science Garden of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, the spicy one used as a seasoning was yanagitade (water pepper), which grows near water.

Enokorogusa, known as nekojarashi (cat teaser), is written with characters meaning "puppy tail grass." The "Seasonal News" of the Ministry of the Environment's Kokyo Gaien National Garden Office explains that enoko means a puppy. The sound of o (tail) is said to have shifted to ro, giving the name enokoro.

Did the dog name "Pochi" come from a foreign language?

"Pochi," a familiar name for dogs in Japan, also has several theories about its origin. A column by Naoto Yoshikai (Specially Appointed Professor as of 2022) cites a supplementary note in the Nihon Kokugo Daijiten dictionary. According to it, there are several theories: English spotty (a spotted dog), American English pooch (a dog), and French petit (small).

The column also passes on, as hearsay, a story that Japanese people who heard French people calling to their dogs "petit" mistook it for the dog's name. According to the same column, in older tellings, the dog in the folk tale "Hanasaka Jiisan" (the old man who made flowers bloom) was named Shiro (White), as a messenger of the gods. In a children's song written in Meiji 34 (1901), however, its name was changed to Pochi.

There are several theories about the origin, but it is clear that even the same folk-tale dog has had different names over time.

Try sharing word stories on your next walk or outing

Many of the word origins in this article could not be pinned down to one story. That is exactly why they make good topics to chat about on walks and outings.

Why sniffing time matters on walks is covered in our column on dogs' sense of smell. If you are planning autumn outings, see our column on planning autumn dog outings around sunset.

You can find a walking style that suits your dog with the diagnosis Your Dog's Walking Style Quiz: Practical. Test what you know about autumn and winter walks with the quiz Autumn and Winter Walks Quiz: Advanced.

After your walk, take a break at a dog cafe. While you wait for your order, why not talk with your companion about which meaning of "a dog that walks" you use (an editors' suggestion)?