also: なおびと
ordinary person; commoner; untitled individual
Refers to a person without rank, title, or special status; a plain, everyday person. Often used in historical or literary contexts to contrast with nobility or officials.
He was born an ordinary person and lived his whole life as one.
In this era, it was difficult for a commoner to obtain a government post.
庶民 refers to the common people as a social class, while 徒人 emphasizes a single individual's lack of title or rank.
凡人 describes someone of ordinary or unremarkable ability, whereas 徒人 is about lacking official rank or title, not talent.
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.
貴人 refers to a person of noble or high rank, the direct opposite of a 徒人, who holds no title or status.
Standard kanji spelling for the main reading ただびと.
Alternate kanji spelling; also read なおびと (obsolete).
Obsolete reading; it is out-dated kana usage.
Alternate kanji spelling.
Compound of 徒 (ただ, 'ordinary, mere') + 人 (ひと, 'person'), with rendaku voicing to びと. The kanji 徒 carries the sense of 'just, only, empty' and is used in words like 徒歩 (とほ, 'walking') and 徒に (いたずらに, 'in vain'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is attested in classical Japanese.