プータロー
also: プーたろう · ふうたろう · ぷうたろう
Meanings
1
unemployed person; drifter; vagrant
Colloquial and often mildly derogatory. It usually implies someone is out of work, idle, or drifting without a steady occupation, rather than a neutral administrative term for unemployment.
After graduating from university, he was unemployed for a while.
He is not even looking for work and is living like a drifter.
2
day labourer; dockside day labourer
Only when written 風太郎
Rare, older or specialized use restricted to the spelling 風太郎. The gloss particularly points to day labourers working around the docks.
風太郎 is used as an old term for a day labourer working at a port.
Usage patterns
- 〈人〉がプー太郎になるfor someone to become an unemployed drifter
After graduating from university, he became an unemployed drifter.
- プー太郎をしているto be living as an unemployed drifter
He's been an unemployed drifter for three years now.