Translation guide
A low-ranking infantry soldier, often used historically or metaphorically for a loyal but unglamorous worker.
A soldier who fights on foot, especially in pre-modern armies.
General term for infantry; can refer to foot soldiers in any era.
Specifically refers to low-ranking foot soldiers in feudal Japan, often lightly armored.
Literal 'soldier on foot'; used in descriptive contexts but less common as a set term.
城壁の外には徒歩の兵士が並んでいた。
Outside the castle walls, foot soldiers were lined up.
A person who does the basic, often unglamorous work in an organization, with little authority.
Medieval foot soldiers fought with spears.
戦国時代の足軽は重要な戦力だった。
Ashigaru foot soldiers were an important fighting force in the Warring States period.
Colloquial term for a low-ranking person in a group; implies doing menial tasks.
彼はまだ下っ端だから、会議で発言できない。
He's still a foot soldier, so he can't speak up in meetings.
Specifically a rank-and-file company employee without a managerial title.
平社員のまま定年を迎えた。
He retired as a foot soldier, never having been promoted.
Literally 'one private soldier'; used metaphorically for the lowest-ranking member of any group.
彼は組織の一兵卒に過ぎない。
He's nothing more than a foot soldier in the organization.