ボーイ

ぼーい

noun

bellboy; waiter

1. bellboy; porter

A hotel employee who carries luggage and assists guests.

I had the bellboy carry my luggage.

When I arrived at the hotel, the bellboy carried my luggage to my room.

2. waiter; server

A male server at a restaurant or bar.

ボーイを呼(よ)ぶ。

To call the waiter.

I ordered a drink from the waiter at the bar.

In the old days, waiters at restaurants served customers wearing white gloves.

3. boy (in compounds)

Used in loanword compounds meaning 'boy'.

a cowboy movie

I went out wearing a cowboy hat.

When I was a child, I was in the Boy Scouts.

ボーイ has several uses in Japanese.

Note: For "waiter," modern Japanese often uses ウェイター or simply スタッフ. ボーイ as "waiter" sounds somewhat old-fashioned.

general

Added 2026.1.13 12:14 · Revised 2026.9.2 11:55

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