Colloquial, often used by children or in casual speech. The standard word is 蟻 (あり).
The ants are forming a line!
I watched the ants closely at the park.
Kanji spelling; rarely used.
Katakana spelling, sometimes used for emphasis or in casual contexts.
Kanji spelling; rarely used.
Derived from 蟻 (あり, 'ant') with the diminutive suffix んこ, which adds a colloquial or childish tone. The exact origin of んこ is uncertain.