1.
retired person; person in retirement
A person who has withdrawn from active work or public life to live quietly. Traditionally referred to a household head who had handed over authority to a successor.
祖父は隠居人として静かに暮らしている。
My grandfather lives quietly as a retired person.
会社を引退した父は、すっかり隠居人になった。
My father, who retired from the company, has become a complete retiree.
定年後は隠居人になるつもりはなく、ボランティアで活動したい。
After retirement age, I don't plan to become a recluse — I want to stay active through volunteer work.
江戸時代の隠居人は家督を譲った後、趣味に没頭する人も多かった。
In the Edo period, many retirees devoted themselves to hobbies after handing over the family headship.
2.
recluse; person living in seclusion
A person who has chosen to withdraw from society and live a quiet, secluded life, often with connotations of contentment and simplicity.
山奥に住む隠居人のような生活に憧れる。
I long for a life like a recluse living deep in the mountains.
彼は世間から離れた隠居人のように見えるが、実はネットで活発に情報発信している。
He looks like a recluse cut off from the world, but he's actually very active online sharing information.
江戸時代の隠居人は家督を譲った後、趣味に没頭する人も多かった。
In the Edo period, many retirees devoted themselves to hobbies after handing over the family headship.
A compound of 隠居 (retirement, seclusion) and 人 (person). In premodern Japan, 隠居 specifically meant the formal act of a household head (家長) transferring authority and property to a successor. The word 隠居人 can carry either a positive nuance of peaceful retirement or a slightly negative implication of being idle and disengaged.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 隠居人のような生活: a reclusive lifestyle
- 隠居人になる: to become a retiree/recluse
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 隠居: retirement, seclusion — the act or state itself, not the person
- 引退者: retired person — a more modern, neutral term
- 年金生活者: pensioner — focuses on living on a pension