noun
Historical term for a young person, often in a samurai or feudal context. Not used in modern everyday speech.
小者たちが城の周りで走り回っていた。
The young servants were running around the castle.
noun
servant; errand boy (in a samurai family)
Specifically a low-ranking servant or errand boy in a samurai household during the Edo period or earlier.
彼は若い頃、武家の小者として働いていた。
When he was young, he worked as an errand boy for a samurai family.
noun
person of lowly status; underling
General term for a person of low social rank in feudal Japan. Rare and historical.
身分の低い小者には発言権がなかった。
Low-ranking underlings had no right to speak.