Translation guide
A person employed to care for children in a private home. In Japanese, the concept is often expressed by describing the role or using specific terms for childcare workers.
A person hired to look after children in the family's home, often full-time or live-in.
The most common and widely understood term for a babysitter or nanny, though it can imply more occasional care. Use this for general situations.
週末はベビーシッターに子供を見てもらいます。
We have a babysitter look after the kids on weekends.
A direct loanword from English, used in more international or upscale contexts. It implies a professional, often trained, childcare provider.
彼女はロンドンでナニーとして働いています。
She works as a nanny in London.
An older term for a female childcare worker, often in a nursery or institutional setting. Now largely replaced by 保育士, but may still be encountered.
彼女は長年、保母として働いてきた。
She worked as a childcare worker for many years.
A qualified person who works in a nursery, daycare, or kindergarten.
The standard term for a licensed childcare professional in Japan. Use this for daycare or nursery school staff.
保育士になるには資格が必要です。
You need a qualification to become a childcare worker.
Explaining that someone takes care of children in a home, without using a job title.
A natural phrase meaning 'a person who takes care of children'. Use this when a specific term like ベビーシッター doesn't fit.
彼女はうちで子供の世話をする人を探しています。
She is looking for someone to take care of the children at home.
Literally 'a person who does babysitting'. 子守 (こもり) is a traditional word for babysitting, but the phrase is slightly old-fashioned.
祖母は若い頃、子守をしていたそうです。
I heard my grandmother used to babysit when she was young.
ベビーシッター is the everyday word for someone who looks after children in the home, often on a temporary basis. ナニー implies a more formal, trained, and often live-in arrangement, common in Western contexts. 保育士 is a licensed professional working in daycare centers or nurseries, not in private homes.
今日はベビーシッターに来てもらう日です。
Today is the day the babysitter comes.
彼らは子供のためにイギリス人のナニーを雇った。
They hired a British nanny for their children.
保育士の資格を取るために勉強しています。
I'm studying to get a childcare worker license.
保母 is an outdated term and may be considered inappropriate or sexist. Use 保育士 for professional childcare workers, or ベビーシッター/ナニー for private nannies.
双子の世話をしてくれるベビーシッターを探しています。
We're looking for a nanny to help with the twins.
Using ベビーシッター is natural here.
彼女は東京の裕福な家庭でナニーとして働いています。
She works as a nanny for a wealthy family in Tokyo.
ナニー fits the upscale, professional context.
Specifically a kindergarten teacher, not a nanny, but sometimes confused in translation. Use only for kindergarten settings.
姉は幼稚園教諭として働いています。
My older sister works as a kindergarten teacher.