tapir
Refers to the real animal, a large herbivorous mammal native to South America and Southeast Asia.
I saw a tapir at the zoo.
mo (mythological dream-eating chimera)
In Chinese and Japanese mythology, a creature said to devour nightmares. Often depicted with a tapir-like appearance.
When you have a bad dream, people sometimes say, 'Let the baku eat it.'
The general counter for small and medium animals — dogs, cats, fish, insects; large animals take 頭.
Usually written in katakana for both the animal and the mythological creature.
Kanji form used especially for the mythological creature; less common for the real animal.
Rarely used kanji form.
The Japanese word バク (baku) comes from Chinese 獏 (mò), referring to the mythological dream-eating creature. The real animal tapir was later named after this mythical beast due to its similar appearance.