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.
A person who does the basic, often unglamorous work in an organization, with little authority.
Medieval foot soldiers fought with spears.
Specifically refers to low-ranking foot soldiers in feudal Japan, often lightly armored.
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.
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.
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.