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
packhorse
Noun meaning a packhorse. Rare standalone use; more commonly encountered in historical or literary descriptions.
They loaded the packhorse with goods and proceeded along the mountain path.
This movie is said to be a poor work.
In the Edo period, horses were used to carry one horse-load of rice.
駄作 is a compound using the prefix 駄, meaning 'poor work' or 'inferior creation'.
no good; useless; broken · hopeless; wasted; in vain · cannot; must not; not allowed · neutral point (go) · no!; stop!
futility; waste; uselessness; pointlessness; idleness
waste; squandering; frittering away
cheap sweets; penny candy; dagashi
bad pun; corny joke; feeble joke
poor work; rubbish; trash
whining; tantrum
poor writing; bad prose · my poor writing
reward; recompense; tip · conveyance charge; packhorse charge
Standard kanji form for all senses.
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'.
foolish talk; nonsense; idle chatter
mongrel; cur; mutt
Pacific needlefish
packhorse; workhorse; hack
horse load; one pack-horse load
pack; horseload
high wooden clogs; rain clogs
poor poem; bad haiku
worthless book; trashy book
trash; low-grade stuff; junk
pack animal
horse's load; packhorse load
small reward; tip; little something
idle talk; chatter; nonsense