How to say "slug" in Japanese

• ナメクジ
  nounThe word for the animal: the slow, shell-less creature that feeds on garden plants and leaves a slimy trail, such as one found among the vegetables after rain. Normally written in kana alone.
• スラッグ
  nounA katakana loanword covering specialized senses of 'slug' — such as a metal disk passed off as a coin, or the unit of mass — rather than the animal; for the garden creature say ナメクジ.
• コインCommon
  nounThe everyday word for a coin or token, the thing you insert into a vending machine; it counts as 'slug' only in this coin-like sense, not for the animal.

For the garden animal use 「ナメクジ」; 「スラッグ」 covers borrowed senses such as a metal disk passed off as a coin; 「コイン」 is really the everyday word for a coin or token, matching 'slug' only in that coin-like sense.

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

• なめくじslug
• スラッグslug
• コインtoken