Another Meaning of “Kamo (カモ: Duck)” in Japanese

As you may know, Kamo (カモ/鴨) means duck in Japanese.

In the Japanese language, there are three common words for “duck” in English;

• One is Kamo (カモ/鴨), which refers to a wild duck.
• Another is Ahiru (アヒル/家鴨) for a domestic duck.
• The last is Aigamo (アイガモ/合鴨) which is a hybrid variety between Kamo and Ahiru.

Unlike Aigamo and Ahiru, Kamo can also refer to a person, but what kind of person is called Kamo?

Another Meaning of Kamo in Japanese

Beware if someone is talking behind your back that you are “ii Kamo (いい鴨)” (pronunciation).

Ii Kamo (いい鴨) literally means “good/nice duck” but has a bad meaning. The phrase actually means “easy to deceive“.

Ii Kamo is a kind of idiom, but Kamo can also be used on its own and refers to a naive person that is easy to deceive or gullible people.

Kamoru (カモる)

Kamo has a verb form, which is Kamoru (カモる).

Kamoru means to deceive someone and, as a result, take benefit. For instance,

• Kamori-Yasui (カモりやすい) means “easy to deceive”.
• Kamorareta (カモられた) means “got deceived and lost something (typically money)”.

(Reference Pages: Goo Japanese Dictionary, Weblio )