noun
panda
Rare term for panda; the standard modern word is パンダ. This form may appear in older texts or as a literal translation of the Chinese characters.
See also: パンダ
古い文献では、パンダのことを「熊猫」と書くことがある。
In old documents, panda is sometimes written as 熊猫.
The standard modern word for panda, used in almost all contexts. 熊猫 is a rare, mostly historical synonym.
From Chinese 熊貓／熊猫 (xióngmāo), literally 'bear cat'. The Japanese reading くまねこ is a direct kun'yomi rendering of the characters.