大砲の餌
taihō no esa
The English phrase "cannon fodder" is translated into Japanese as 大砲の餌 (taihō no esa).
The term refers to military forces that are viewed as expendable.
Meaning: military forces considered to be expendable (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is taihō no esa.
Did you know?
- While 大砲の餌 is a direct translation, Japanese speakers often use the term 捨て駒, meaning 'discarded chess piece', to describe an expendable person in a similar context. This draws from the logic of Shogi, Japan's traditional chess game.
- In the context of Japanese gaming culture, players might use terms like 肉壁 (nikukabe), meaning 'meat wall', to describe characters used to absorb damage. This is a modern, digital evolution of the 'cannon fodder' concept.
- In Japanese, the word for 'fodder' or 'bait' is 餌, which is the same word used when talking about fish bait or animal feed. Using it for human soldiers creates a very visceral, dehumanizing effect.
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are discussing a historical war movie.
- 美咲 Misakiこの映画の兵士たちは、大砲の餌みたいだね。Kono eiga no heishitachi wa, taihou no esa mitai da ne.The soldiers in this movie are like cannon fodder, aren't they?
- 健太 Kentaそうだね。作戦がひどすぎるよ。Sou da ne. Sakusen ga hido sugiru yo.You're right. The strategy is terrible.
- 美咲 Misaki大砲の餌にして戦わせるのは残酷だわ。Taihou no esa ni shite tatakawaseru no wa zankoku da wa.It's cruel to make them fight as cannon fodder.
- 健太 Kenta本当に、悲しい物語だね。Hontou ni, kanashii monogatari da ne.It really is a sad story.
