General term for a person without noble or aristocratic status, used in historical and modern contexts.
He came from a commoner background but worked hard and became a minister.
commoner (historical Japanese class)
Specifically refers to the lowest of the three social classes in Japan between 1869 and 1947, under the 族称 system.
See also: 族称
In the Meiji era, commoners were placed below the peerage and former samurai classes.
He was born a commoner but worked hard to become a government official.
That family committed a crime and were demoted to commoner status.
民衆 emphasizes the masses as a political or social collective, whereas 平民 focuses on individual status as a non-noble.
平民 is a historical/legal class term for commoners under a rank system, while 徒人 is a more literary word for an untitled individual.
貴族 refers to nobles or aristocrats, the general opposite of 平民 as a commoner.
華族 was the highest of the three official classes (1869–1947), directly above 平民 in that same historical system.
士族 was the former samurai class ranked between 華族 and 平民, so learners may confuse it with 平民 when discussing the old class hierarchy.
common; plebeian; ordinary
new commoner; former outcast after the 1871 abolition of the feudal caste system
democracy; democratic principle
Compound of 平 (へい, 'ordinary') and 民 (みん, 'people'). The historical class sense is a specific Meiji-era legal usage.