ワンマン
わんまん
noun / na-adjective
one-man, autocratic, solo-operated
1.
autocratic, dictatorial
Describes a person, especially a boss or leader, who makes all decisions alone without consulting others.
ワンマン社長だ。
He's an autocratic company president.
ワンマン経営では社員がついてこない。
With autocratic management, employees won't follow along.
彼のワンマンな態度にみんな不満を持っている。
Everyone is dissatisfied with his dictatorial attitude.
2.
one-man, solo-operated
Operated by a single person, especially buses or trains that run without a conductor.
ワンマンバスに乗る。
I ride a one-man bus.
この路線はワンマン運転だ。
This line operates with one-man (driverless conductor) service.
地方のバスはワンマン運行が多い。
Local buses mostly run as one-man operations.
ワンマン is wasei-eigo from English "one-man." It has two distinct uses in Japanese.
SENSE 1 — AUTOCRATIC:
Describes a leader who monopolizes decision-making. Almost always negative.
- ワンマン社長: autocratic president
- ワンマン経営: one-man management
SENSE 2 — SOLO-OPERATED:
Refers to public transport operated by a driver alone, without a separate conductor.
- ワンマンバス: conductor-less bus
- ワンマン運転: one-man operation
NOTE:
In English, "one-man" is neutral, but in Japanese, sense 1 carries a strongly negative nuance. Sense 2 is a neutral, technical term used in transportation.