Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Words Kanji Guides About

黄犬契約 (おうけんけいやく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

黄おう犬けん契けい約やく

also: こうけんけいやく

お

う

け

ん

け

い

や

く

Meanings

1

noun

yellow-dog contract

A historical US labor term for an employment contract that forbids joining a union; used in Japanese discussions of labor history and law.

アメリカの労ろう働どう史しでは、黄おう犬けん契けい約やくは組くみ合あい加か入にゅうを禁きんじる雇こ用よう契けい約やくとして知しられている。
In American labor history, the yellow-dog contract is known as an employment contract that prohibits joining a union.

黄おう犬けん契けい約やくは、1932年ねんのノリス・ラガーディア法ほうで禁きん止しされた。

Yellow-dog contracts were banned by the Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932.

Written forms

黄犬契約
- おうけんけいやく
  Standard kanji form; the reading おうけんけいやく is the most common.
- こうけんけいやく
  Alternate reading; less common than おうけんけいやく.
こうけんけいやく

Kanji

黄yellow
犬dog
契pledge, promise, vow
約promise, approximately, shrink

Similar words

労ろう働どう協きょう約やく
労働協約 is a collective labor agreement between a union and an employer, whereas 黄犬契約 is a specific historical type of individual employment contract that prohibits union membership.
雇こ用よう契けい約やく
雇用契約 is a general employment contract, while 黄犬契約 refers specifically to a contract with an anti-union clause.

Etymology

Calque from English 'yellow-dog contract'. The term originated in early 20th-century US labor relations, referring to contracts that forced workers to agree not to join a union. The Japanese term directly translates the English phrase.