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.
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 labourer at a construction site.
Common abbreviation of 日雇い労働者. Slightly more casual but still widely used in everyday speech.
日雇いの仕事を探している。
I'm looking for day labour work.
Older term, often used historically or in literary contexts. 人夫 means 'laborer'.
明治時代には多くの日雇い人夫が港湾で働いていた。
In the Meiji era, many day labourers worked at the docks.
To refer to a worker dispatched by a temporary agency for daily assignments.
Refers to the system of daily dispatch work. The worker is called 日雇い派遣労働者, but often shortened to 日雇い派遣.
日雇い派遣で工場の仕事をしている。
I'm doing factory work through daily temp dispatch.
Full formal term for a day labourer under the temporary staffing system.
日雇い派遣労働者の待遇改善が求められている。
Improvements in the treatment of daily dispatch workers are being demanded.
To refer to a day labourer in pre-modern or feudal Japan.
Archaic term for day labourer, literally 'day hire'. Seen in historical texts.
日傭として生計を立てていた。
He made a living as a day labourer.
Historical term for a day labourer, often used for manual laborers in the Edo period. 人足 means 'coolie' or 'laborer'.
江戸時代、日雇い人足は城の普請に駆り出された。
In the Edo period, day labourers were mobilized for castle construction.
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.