Translation guide
A person 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 casual contexts. The concept also appears in historical and literary settings.
To refer to a person who works for daily wages, typically in construction, agriculture, or other manual labor.
Standard, neutral term. Literally 'day-hire worker'. Used in formal contexts, news, and official documents.
He works as a day labourer at a construction site.
Common abbreviation of 日雇い労働者. Slightly more casual but still widely used in everyday speech.
I'm looking for day labour work.
Older term, often used historically or in literary contexts. 人夫 means 'laborer'.
In the Meiji era, many day labourers worked at the docks.
To refer to a worker dispatched by a temporary agency for daily assignments.
To refer to a day labourer in pre-modern or feudal Japan.
The English phrase 'day labourer' is often translated directly as 日雇い労働者, but in casual conversation, simply 日雇い is more natural. Using the full term in every context can sound overly formal.
In modern Japan, many day labourers work through dispatch agencies (派遣). If the context is temporary staffing, use 日雇い派遣 to be precise.
Improvements in the treatment of daily dispatch workers are being demanded.
In the Edo period, day labourers were mobilized for castle construction.