Translation guide
A junkman is a person who collects, buys, or sells discarded items, scrap, or junk. In Japanese, this concept is expressed through specific terms depending on the type of junk and the nature of the work.
To refer to someone who makes a living by gathering and reselling scrap metal, old appliances, or other discarded items.
A formal term for a person or business engaged in collecting and recycling waste materials. Commonly used in official contexts.
廃品回収業者が古い家電を集めている。
A junkman is collecting old appliances.
Literally 'scrap iron shop/person'. A colloquial term for someone who deals in scrap metal. Often used for small-scale operators.
くず鉄屋が空き缶を買い取ってくれる。
The junkman buys empty cans.
A less common, more literal term for a person who collects waste items. May sound stiff or bureaucratic.
廃品回収人が町を回っている。
A junkman is going around the town.
To describe someone who gathers discarded items not primarily for profit, but for repair, reuse, or collection.
A 'junk collector' or 'hoarder of odds and ends'. Suitable for someone who accumulates miscellaneous items, often with a slightly negative connotation.
彼はがらくた収集家で、家の中は物であふれている。
He's a junkman; his house is overflowing with stuff.
General term for 'collector'. Can be used for junk if context makes it clear, but is not specific to junk.
彼は古い看板の収集家だ。
He's a collector of old signs.
To refer to a person who sells miscellaneous cheap items, often from a cart or stall, reminiscent of a rag-and-bone man.
Historically, a rag-and-bone man or junk dealer. Now rare and may be understood only in historical contexts.
昔、ぼろ屋が鍋や古着を売りに来た。
In the old days, a junkman came to sell pots and old clothes.
A licensed secondhand goods dealer. More formal and covers a broader range of used items, not just junk.
The English word 'junkman' does not have a single direct equivalent in Japanese. Using a literal translation like ジャンクマン (jankuman) would not be understood. Choose a term based on the specific activity (collecting scrap metal, dealing in used goods, etc.).
古物商の許可を取って商売を始めた。
He got a secondhand dealer's license and started his business.