prefix
poor; low-grade; trivial; worthless
Prefix used to belittle or dismiss something as inferior, trivial, or worthless. Common in compounds like 駄文 (poor writing) and 駄作 (poor work).
See also: 駄文
彼の書いたものは駄文ばかりだ。
Everything he writes is just poor writing.
この映画は駄作だと言われている。
This movie is said to be a poor work.
noun, used as a suffix, counter
Suffix and counter for loads carried by a packhorse. Historically used in contexts like 一駄 (one horse-load). Rare in modern Japanese outside historical or specialized contexts.
See also: 一駄
江戸時代には、一駄の米を運ぶのに馬が使われた。
In the Edo period, horses were used to carry one horse-load of rice.
noun
packhorse
Noun meaning a packhorse. Rare standalone use; more commonly encountered in historical or literary descriptions.
駄に荷物を積んで山道を進んだ。
They loaded the packhorse with goods and proceeded along the mountain path.
駄目 means 'no good' or 'useless' as an adjective/noun, while 駄 is a prefix meaning 'poor' or 'low-grade'.
駄作 is a compound using the prefix 駄, meaning 'poor work' or 'inferior creation'.
The kanji 駄 originally referred to a packhorse or load, and by extension came to mean something of low quality or trivial. The prefix sense likely developed from the idea of something being 'just a load' or 'mere baggage'.