鴨
kamo[ka̠mo̞]
In Japanese, the English word duck is expressed as 鴨 (kamo) or 家鴨.
Meaning: aquatic bird of the family Anatidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 鴨 | kamo | [ka̠mo̞] (narrow) |
| 家鴨 | ahiru | [a̠çiɾɯ̟] (narrow) [ka̠o̞ː] (narrow) |
The term for duck depends on whether you are referring to a bird found in the wild or one that has been domesticated.
Which one should you use?
鴨 (kamo) specifically refers to wild ducks or species in the Anatidae family found in nature. In contrast, 家鴨 (ahiru) refers to domestic ducks, such as those raised on a farm or kept as pets.
How do you pronounce it?
kamo
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, the word 鴨 (kamo) is sometimes used as slang to describe a 'sitting duck' or an easy target for a scam.
- The word 鴨 (kamo) may have evolved from an ancient word for 'wild goose', with the 'g' sound changing to 'k' because old Japanese avoided voiced stops at the start of words.
- The name of the famous river in Kyoto, 鴨川 (Kamogawa), literally translates to 'Duck River'.
Examples in context
- ボクは鴨ガー。英語を話すガー。I'm a duck, quack. I speak English, quack.This sentence is useful for seeing the use of 鴨 in a playful context.Tatoeba #10203533 by Sim5634, translation #10203535 by DJ_Saidez
- 家鴨の子A baby duck, a ducklingThis sentence shows how to describe a baby or duckling using 家鴨.
- 田中さん、あの美しいあひるを見ましたか？Mr. Tanaka, did you see that beautiful duck?
- あの公園の池にカモがいます！There are ducks in that park pond!
- 池に鴨が泳いでいます。Ike ni kamo ga oyoide imasu.A duck is swimming in the pond.
Example conversation
Yota and Himari are walking in a park.
- 陽太 Yotaあそこに鴨がいるよ。Asoko ni kamo ga iru yo.Look, there's a duck over there.
- 陽葵 Himari本当だ。とてもかわいいね。Hontō da. Totemo kawaii ne.You're right. It's very cute.
- 陽太 Yotaパンをあげてもいいかな？Pan o agete mo ii kana?I wonder if I can give it some bread?
- 陽葵 Himariダメだよ、陽太。Dame da yo, Yōta.You shouldn't, Yota.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “duck” translations and entries 鴨, 家鴨, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 家鴨, 鴨, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
