How to say "duck" in Japanese

• かもCommon
  nounThe common word for the bird itself, whether swimming on a pond or in a park; it is usually written in kana alone. For the live animal, this is the word you want.
• ダック
  nounThe loanword for the bird, matching English 'duck' directly, but it is less common than かも. For the live bird you will almost always want かも; this one is seldom the word you need.
• 鴨肉かもにく
  nounSpecifically the meat of the duck as food — what you would buy at a butcher or order at a restaurant. Use this when 'duck' refers to the dish or ingredient, not the bird.
• すくめる
  ichidan verb, transitive verbA verb, not the bird: use it when 'duck' means drawing the head in or down; it also covers shrugging the shoulders and drawing the body back.
  彼かれはただ肩かたをすくめただけだった。↗

  He just shrugged his shoulders.
• ズック
  nounNot the bird: here 'duck' is the name of a fabric, a canvas-like cloth. The word also covers canvas, sailcloth and burlap, so it only comes up when talking about cloth.

Use 「かも」 for the bird, 鴨肉 for duck as food, and 「すくめる」 for the verb 'duck (one's head)'; 「ダック」 is a less common loanword for the bird, and 「ズック」 refers to the fabric.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• かもduck
• ダックduck
• 鴨肉かもにくduck (meat)
• すくめるto shrug (shoulders)
• ズックcanvas
• 縮めるちぢめるto make (one's body) smaller