ライダー
raidā[ɾa̠ida̠ː]
The English phrase 'rider' can be translated into Japanese using several terms such as ライダー (raidā), 騎手 or 乗り手.
Meaning: one who rides (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ライダー | raidā | [ɾa̠ida̠ː] (narrow) |
| 騎手 | kishu | [kʲiɕɨ] (narrow) [kʲi̥ɕɨ] (narrow) |
| 乗り手 | norite | [no̞ɾʲite̞] (narrow) |
The term 'rider' in Japanese can refer to someone who rides a vehicle, an animal or a device. Depending on the context, you might use the loanword ライダー, the specific term for a jockey 騎手 or the general term 乗り手.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 乗り手 is composed of the verb stem 乗り (to ride) and the suffix 手 (hand/person), which literally translates to 'the person who rides'.
Which one should you use?
The katakana form ライダー is a loanword typically used for motorcycle riders or in the context of pop culture. The term 騎手 is specifically used for a professional rider of horses, such as a jockey in horse racing. In contrast, 乗り手 is a general term for someone who operates or rides a vehicle, animal or device.
How do you pronounce it?
raidā
Did you know?
- The katakana spelling ライダー is identical to the way Japanese transliterates 'LIDAR', the light detection and ranging technology used in autonomous vehicles.
- Japanese food delivery services often refer to their couriers as ライダー to give the job a more modern and active image.
- In Japan, the term ライダー is almost exclusively associated with motorcycles and would rarely be used for someone riding a bicycle.
Examples in context
- 棹立ちした栗毛の牝馬は嘶き、騎手を落とそうとした。The prancing chestnut mare whinnied as she tried to get rid of the rider.This sentence illustrates the use of 騎手 to refer to a rider.Tatoeba #2749732 by birdie, translation #1602321 by human600
- 彼は本当に格好いいバイカーだね！He is a really cool biker, right?
- 新しいライダーがチームに加わった。Atarashii raidā ga chīmu ni kuwatta.A new rider joined the team.
Example conversation
Daigato and Himari are talking about a motorcycle event.
- 大翔 Hiroto今日はたくさんのライダーが集まったね。Kyō wa takusan no raidā ga atsumatta ne.A lot of riders gathered today, didn't they?
- 陽葵 Himari本当だね。かっこいいバイクが多いよ。Hontō da ne. Kakkoii baiku ga ōi yo.You're right. There are many cool bikes.
- 大翔 Hiroto大翔もいつかライダーになりたいな。Daigato mo itsuka raidā ni naritai na.I want to become a rider someday, too.
- 陽葵 Himariいいと思うよ。頑張ってね。Ii to omou yo. Ganbatte ne.I think that's great. Good luck.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rider” translations and entries ライダー, 騎手, 乗り手, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ライダー, 騎手, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
