Refers to the waterfowl. The kanji 鴨 is standard, but kana is also common.
公園の池に鴨がたくさんいる。
There are many ducks on the pond in the park.
easy mark; sucker; sitting duck
Figurative use: a person who is easily taken advantage of, cheated, or defeated. Usually written in kana (かも).
彼は詐欺師にとって格好のかもだ。
He is a perfect sucker for a con artist.
Every winter, hunters who hunt ducks come to the lake.
あんなに無防備じゃ、まるでかもだね。
Being so defenseless, he's like a sitting duck.
At this restaurant, the hot pot dish made with duck meat is popular.
鴨 refers to wild ducks in general, while アヒル specifically means the domesticated duck.
鴨 refers to wild ducks (and the duck family in general), while アヒル refers specifically to the domesticated duck raised for meat or eggs.
雁 refers to larger migratory geese, while 鴨 refers to smaller ducks commonly seen on ponds and rivers.
counter for birds; counter for rabbits
lintel; upper door frame
platypus
spot-billed duck
mallard; mallard duck
cross between a mallard and domestic duck; hybrid duck
green-winged teal; Eurasian teal
harlequin duck
long-tailed duck; oldsquaw
Falkland steamer duck
Standard kanji spelling for 'duck'. Also used in the figurative sense, though kana is more common there.
Katakana spelling is sometimes used for the figurative sense, especially in casual or emphatic contexts.
Kana spelling is strongly preferred for the figurative 'easy mark' sense.
Rarely used kanji form for 'duck'.
The origin is uncertain, but the word is native Japanese. The figurative sense likely derives from the idea of a duck being an easy target for hunters.
falcated duck; falcated teal
wild duck
greater scaup
defeat easily; take advantage of; eat alive · swindle; bilk; dupe
duck hunting reserve
duck hunting