Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 軍人 | gunjin | [ɡɯ̟̃ɲ̟d͡ʑĩɴ] (narrow) |
| 兵士 | heishi | [he̞ːɕi] (narrow) |
| 兵隊 | heitai | [he̞ːta̠i] (narrow) |
The terms for soldier in Japanese vary depending on whether you are talking about a profession, a specific individual or a group of troops.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 軍人 is composed of 軍 (army/military) and 人 (person). The word 兵士 is composed of 兵 (soldier/warrior) and 士 (samurai/scholar/person of status).
Which one should you use?
軍人 is used when referring to a soldier as a professional occupation or a member of the military class. 兵士 is used to refer to an individual soldier, often in the context of a specific person or a combatant in a battle. 兵隊 is a more colloquial or old-fashioned term often used to refer to a group of soldiers or the military in a general, less formal sense.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the action of serving as a soldier, you can use the verb 従軍する.
How do you pronounce it?
gunjin
Did you know?
- When discussing modern military service, Japanese speakers often prefer the more administrative or official-sounding 自衛官 for members of the Self-Defense Forces.
- The word 兵隊 is sometimes used in a playful or derogatory way to describe a large, unthinking mass of people following orders.
- The character 士 in 兵士 was historically used to denote the 'samurai' class. This reflects a linguistic evolution where a term for a noble warrior became part of the modern word for a common soldier.
Examples in context
- トムは軍人じゃない。Tom isn't a soldier.This sentence uses 軍人 to deny someone's profession.Tatoeba #10908919 by SomeHungryBois, translation #5147322 by CK
- 兵士になったことある？Have you ever been a soldier?This sentence uses 兵士 to ask about past experience.Tatoeba #8569439 by small_snow, translation #7269162 by CarpeLanam
- その兵士は勇敢に振る舞った。The soldier acted bravely.This sentence uses 兵士 to describe an individual's behavior.Tatoeba #206845 by bunbuku, translation #44094 by CM
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Himari and Hiroto are talking about their grandfather's old photos.
- 陽葵 Himariおじいちゃんは軍人だったの？Ojiichan wa gunjin datta no?Was your grandfather a soldier?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、昔軍人として働いていたよ。Un, mukashi gunjin to shite hataraite ita yo.Yes, he used to work as a soldier a long time ago.
- 陽葵 Himariこの写真の制服、かっこいいね。Kono shashin no seifuku, kakkoii ne.The uniform in this photo is cool.
- 大翔 Hirotoありがとう。誇りに思っているよ。Arigatou. Hokori ni omotte iru yo.Thank you. I am proud of him.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “soldier” translations and entries 軍人, 兵士, 兵隊, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
