Translation guide
A worker hired and paid on a daily basis, often for manual or unskilled work. In Japanese, the most common term is 日雇い労働者, but shorter forms like 日雇い are widely used in conversation. The concept is associated with temporary, unstable employment, and there are specific historical and legal terms as well.
The standard, neutral way to refer to a person who does day labor.
The full, formal term. Used in official contexts, news, and legal documents.
彼は日雇い労働者として建設現場で働いている。
He works as a day laborer at a construction site.
A common abbreviation of 日雇い労働者. Used in everyday conversation and informal writing.
日雇いの仕事を探している。
I'm looking for day labor work.
An older term, sometimes used historically or in literary contexts. 人夫 means 'laborer'.
かつては多くの日雇い人夫が港湾で働いていた。
In the past, many day laborers worked at the docks.
Refers specifically to day laborers who gather at designated spots (yoseba) to find work, often associated with the construction industry and a distinct subculture.
Literally 'yoseba worker'. Used in sociological or journalistic contexts to describe day laborers who frequent yoseba.
寄せ場労働者の多くは不安定な生活を送っている。
Many yoseba workers lead unstable lives.
By extension, can refer to the day laborers themselves, though primarily it means the place. Context-dependent.
あの人は寄せ場だよ。
That guy is a day laborer (from the yoseba).
Terms for day laborers in specific historical periods or with particular job functions.
Historically refers to construction workers, especially those doing earthworks. Often associated with day labor and rough work. Can be derogatory in modern usage.
Can be considered derogatory or politically incorrect today. Use with care.
昔、土方として生計を立てていた。
In the old days, he made a living as a construction laborer.
An Edo-period term for laborers, often used for day laborers carrying goods or doing manual work. Now only in historical contexts.
日雇い (day laborer) is hired on a daily basis, often for manual work, with no ongoing contract. 派遣社員 (temporary staff) are employed by an agency and dispatched to companies, usually with contracts of weeks or months. アルバイト (part-time job) is typically for students or side jobs, with regular shifts but not full-time. Day labor is the most precarious and unstable.
The literal translation '日労働者' is not used in Japanese. Always use 日雇い労働者 or 日雇い.
江戸時代には人足が荷物を運んだ。
During the Edo period, laborers carried goods.