庭師
niwashi[ɲ̟iβ̞a̠ɕi]
The English word 'gardener' can be translated into Japanese as 庭師 (niwashi). Wiktionary also lists 園丁 (entei).
Meaning: one who gardens (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 庭師 | niwashi | [ɲ̟iβ̞a̠ɕi] (narrow) |
| 園丁 | entei |
Japanese uses different terms for a gardener depending on whether you are referring to a professional tradesman, a poetic figure or using a formal technical term.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 庭師 is composed of 庭, meaning 'garden' and 師, meaning 'master' or 'professional/teacher'.
Which one should you use?
庭師 is the standard term for a professional gardener or someone whose job is gardening. In contrast, 園丁 is a more literary or poetic term used in writing rather than daily speech. While not listed in the primary forms, the term engei-shi also serves as a formal way to say gardener.
How do you pronounce it?
niwashi
Did you know?
- A professional 庭師 may specialize exclusively in 'dry landscape' gardens called 枯山水 (karesansui), where they use raked gravel to represent water instead of actual plants.
- In Japan, a 庭師 is often expected to be a master of 'spatial philosophy' as well as plants, as traditional gardens are designed to represent the universe in miniature.
- The character 師 in 庭師 is the same one used for 'teacher' 教師 and 'doctor' 医師, implying that a gardener is a learned specialist rather than just a laborer.
Examples in context
- 庭は庭師を映す鏡だ。A garden is the reflection of the gardener.This sentence is useful for illustrating how the word 庭師 is used in a metaphorical context regarding a garden.Tatoeba #10952569 by bunbuku, translation #10952686 by CK
- 彼はプロの庭師です。Kare wa puro no niwashi desu.He is a professional gardener.
- 庭師に手入れを頼みました。Niwashi ni teire o tanomimashita.I asked a gardener to do the maintenance.
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are walking through a beautiful public park.
- 美咲 Misakiこの公園、とても綺麗ね。Kono kouen, totemo kirei ne.This park is very beautiful, isn't it?
- 陽太 Yota腕の良い庭師がいるんだよ。Ude no yoi niwashi ga iru n da yo.There is a skilled gardener here.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太さんは、庭師に興味があるの？Youta-san wa, niwashi ni kyoumi ga aru no?Yota, are you interested in gardeners?
- 陽太 Yota植物の手入れは好きだからね。Shokubutsu no teire wa suki dakara ne.Because I like tending to plants.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gardener” translations and entries 庭師, 園丁, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
