1.
cowboy
A man who tends cattle on horseback, especially in the American West. In Japanese it almost always evokes the image from American Westerns rather than referring to actual modern ranch workers.
My son admires cowboys and says he wants to work on a ranch when he grows up.
カウボーイ is a loanword from English "cowboy." In Japanese it is almost always associated with the imagery of the American Old West — cowboy hats, boots, lassos, and Western films — rather than with actual modern ranching labor.
Common collocations
- カウボーイハット: cowboy hat
- カウボーイブーツ: cowboy boots
- カウボーイ映画: cowboy movie (Western film)
- カウボーイスタイル: cowboy style (fashion)
Cultural note
In Japan, カウボーイ evokes the romanticized image of the American Old West popularized by Hollywood Westerns (西部劇). The word is rarely used for real-life cattle ranchers in Japan, who would simply be called 牧場の人 or 牧畜業者.
Usage
- Despite the gendered English origin (cow + boy), there is no widespread feminine equivalent in Japanese; カウガール is occasionally used.
- Used metaphorically very rarely, unlike English "cowboy" which can describe reckless behavior.
Related Words
Related:
カウボーイハット (cowboy hat)