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ロバ (ろば) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ロバ

ろ

ば

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

usually written using kana alone

Standard word for the animal; no special nuance.

ロバが荷に物もつを運はこんでいる。
A donkey is carrying luggage.

Written forms

ロバUsage58%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is standard; the word is usually written in kana.
驢ろ馬ばUsage23%
Kanji form is rare and mostly literary or historical.
ろばUsage20%
Hiragana spelling, also common.

Kanji

驢donkey
馬horse

Similar words

馬うま
馬 is a horse, while ロバ is a donkey.
ラバ
ラバ is a mule (offspring of a male donkey and a female horse), while ロバ is a donkey.

Etymology

The word is likely a loanword, possibly from Portuguese 'burro' or Spanish 'burro', but the exact derivation is uncertain.