Translation guide
The English word 'picket' has several distinct meanings: a pointed stake used for fences or tents, a person or group stationed to protest or guard, and the act of protesting in this way. This guide covers how to express these concepts naturally in Japanese.
A pointed wooden or metal stake driven into the ground, often used for fences, tents, or as a marker.
General word for a stake or post driven into the ground. Can be used for fence posts, tent pegs, or markers.
庭に杭を打って柵を作った。
I drove stakes into the garden and made a fence.
テントを張るために杭を地面に打ち込んだ。
I hammered stakes into the ground to set up the tent.
Specifically a wooden stake or pole. Emphasizes the material and shape.
棒杭を並べて境界を示した。
We lined up wooden stakes to mark the boundary.
Loanword from English, used in specific contexts like camping or military, but not common. Usually better to use 杭.
キャンプ用のピケットを買った。
I bought tent pegs for camping.
A person or group stationed outside a workplace, embassy, etc., to protest, dissuade others from entering, or guard.
Common term for a group of picketers, especially in labor disputes. Combines the loanword ピケ (picket) with 隊 (group).
ストライキ中の労働者がピケ隊を組織した。
The striking workers organized a picket line.
Literally 'person who sets up a picket'. Used to describe an individual picketer.
工場の前にピケを張る人たちが立っていた。
People were standing in front of the factory, picketing.
Means 'watchman' or 'guard'. Can be used for a picket in a guarding sense, but lacks the protest nuance.
The action of demonstrating or protesting by standing outside a place, often to dissuade entry or draw attention to a cause.
Standard phrase meaning 'to picket' or 'to form a picket line'. Uses the loanword ピケ and the verb 張る (to stretch/set up).
労働組合は会社の前でピケを張った。
The labor union picketed in front of the company.
彼らは賃上げを求めてピケを張っている。
They are picketing for a wage increase.
Uses the English gerund 'picketing' as a loanword. More direct but slightly less natural than ピケを張る.
学生たちは授業料値上げに反対してピケッティングをした。
The students picketed against the tuition hike.
General term for 'conduct a protest action'. Not specific to picketing, but can be used in broader contexts.
組合は会社前で抗議行動を行った。
The union conducted a protest action in front of the company.
Do not use 杭 (stake) for the protest meaning. The protest sense is almost always expressed with the loanword ピケ. Using 杭 would cause confusion.
The phrase 'picket line' is often translated as ピケライン (pike rain) or ピケ隊の列 (line of picketers). However, ピケを張る already implies forming a line, so it's often unnecessary to specify 'line'.
彼は入り口で監視員として立っていた。
He stood at the entrance as a guard.