Refers to a person whose job is cleaning, such as a janitor or professional cleaner. Can be used for both commercial and residential cleaning staff.
The building's janitor cleans the hallway every morning.
After moving out, I called a cleaner and had them thoroughly clean the room.
night soil collector
Archaic term for a person who collected human waste for use as fertilizer. No longer used in modern contexts except in historical descriptions.
In the Edo period, night soil collectors gathered human waste from the town and sold it as fertilizer.
Older term specifically for a female cleaner; now often replaced by gender-neutral terms.
Standard kanji spelling for a professional cleaner or janitor.
Kana-kanji mixed spelling sometimes seen in informal contexts.
Compound of 掃除 (cleaning) and 屋 (person/establishment). The archaic sense derives from the historical practice of collecting night soil.