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モルモット (morumotto) Japanese meaning: guinea pig | Kotomora

モルモット

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Common word›Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

The animal Cavia porcellus, commonly kept as a pet or used in laboratories.

from Dutch marmot

子こ供どもの頃ころ、モルモットを飼かっていました。

I kept a guinea pig when I was a child.

2

guinea pig; test subject

Figurative use for a person or thing used as a subject in an experiment or trial.

新しん薬やくの治ち験けんで、彼かれはモルモットになった。
He became a guinea pig in the clinical trial for the new drug.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉をモルモットにするto use someone as a (human) guinea pig
新しん薬やくの実じっ験けんで人にん間げんをモルモットにするのは倫りん理り的てきに問もん題だいがある。
Using humans as guinea pigs in drug trials raises ethical concerns.
〈事こと〉のモルモットになるto become the test subject for something
彼かれは新あたらしい治ち療りょう法ほうのモルモットになることを承しょう諾だくした。
He agreed to be the guinea pig for the new treatment.

Related words

てんじくねずみ sense 1
モルモット is the everyday name for the animal, while テンジクネズミ (天竺鼠) is its formal zoological name.
被ひ験けん者しゃ sense 2
被験者 is the neutral, formal term for a research subject, whereas モルモット is a figurative, often disapproving way to describe someone used as a test subject.

Don't confuse with

マーモット sense 1
モルモット and マーモット sound alike but モルモット means guinea pig while マーモット refers to the marmot, a different rodent.
ハムスター
ハムスター (hamster) and モルモット (guinea pig) are both small pet rodents that learners often confuse, but they are different species with distinct appearances and care needs.

Counted with

匹ひきN3
counter for small animals · counter for rolls of cloth · archaic counter for horses · roll of cloth

Etymology

From Dutch 'marmot', though the meaning shifted to 'guinea pig' in Japanese.