駱駝(らくだ)

The kanji 駱駝(らくだ) is rarely used in ordinary writing; the katakana form ラクダ is standard in newspapers, textbooks, and zoo signage, and hiragana らくだ is also common.

Types

• 一瘤駱駝(ひとこぶらくだ) - dromedary (one hump), of Arabia and North Africa
• 二瘤駱駝(ふたこぶらくだ) - Bactrian camel (two humps), of Central Asia

Common collocations

• 駱駝(らくだ)に乗(の)る - to ride a camel
• 駱駝(らくだ)の瘤(こぶ) - a camel's hump
• 駱駝(らくだ)に荷物(にもつ)を運(はこ)ばせる - to have camels carry the load

Similar words

• 馬(うま) - the riding and pack animal familiar in Japan; 駱駝(らくだ) fills the same role in desert regions
• 家畜(かちく) - livestock, the category 駱駝(らくだ) belongs to in its home regions

Cultural note

Camels are not native to Japan, so most Japanese meet them at a 動物園(どうぶつえん) or on the tourist rides at the Tottori sand dunes. In writing they appear mostly in connection with deserts and the Silk Road. Written in hiragana, らくだ is also an older word for warm knitted underwear, originally made of camel wool.

Counter

Counted with 頭(とう), the counter for large animals.