Translation guide
The English word "sucker" has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common ones for learners: a gullible person, a lollipop, a suction device, and a plant shoot. Each meaning has its own natural Japanese expressions.
To refer to someone who is easily tricked, naive, or falls for scams.
Slang for a 'mark' or 'easy target', often used in the context of gambling or scams. Very common and natural.
あいつはいいカモだ。
He's an easy mark.
A soft-hearted or overly trusting person who is easily taken advantage of. Less harsh than 'カモ'.
He's a sucker because he's too trusting.
A straightforward phrase meaning 'a person who is easily deceived'. Clear and neutral.
He's a sucker.
Slang meaning 'an easy opponent' or 'someone who is a pushover'. More about being easy to beat or manipulate.
Don't lose to such a sucker.
To refer to a piece of hard candy on a stick, often called a lollipop.
To refer to a cup-shaped object that adheres to surfaces by vacuum, or a part of an animal/plant that functions similarly.
The standard word for a suction cup, whether artificial or biological (e.g., on an octopus tentacle).
I attached my phone to the wall with a sucker.
To refer to a new shoot that grows from the base of a plant or from a root, often considered undesirable.
Avoid literal translations like '吸う人' (a person who sucks). It doesn't make sense in Japanese. Use the slang or descriptive terms provided.
He is a sucker. (incorrect)
Literally 'candy with a stick'. A descriptive term, less common in everyday speech.
I bought a sucker.
An octopus's tentacles have suckers.
ひこばえを取らないと、木が弱る。
If you don't remove the suckers, the tree will weaken.