noun
Common terrestrial gastropod without a shell. Often found in gardens and damp places.
雨の後、庭にナメクジがたくさん出た。
After the rain, many slugs appeared in the garden.
ナメクジは湿った場所を好む。
Slugs prefer damp places.
Kanji form is rare and mainly encountered in literary or specialized contexts.
カタツムリ is a snail (with a shell), while ナメクジ is a slug (without a shell).
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 蛞蝓 are ateji (phonetic equivalents) and rarely used. The word is native Japanese.