兵隊(へいたい)

へいたい
noun
soldier; serviceman; troops
occupation
1. soldier; serviceman; troops
A member of the armed forces, especially an ordinary enlisted soldier. Can refer to one soldier or, collectively, to troops.
兵隊(へいたい)になる。
To become a soldier.
大勢(おおぜい)の兵隊(へいたい)が町(まち)を行進(こうしん)した。
A large number of soldiers marched through the town.
祖父(そふ)は若(わか)いころ兵隊(へいたい)として戦争(せんそう)に行(い)った。
My grandfather went to war as a soldier when he was young.

An everyday word for a soldier, particularly a rank-and-file enlisted man. It can name an individual or, used collectively, a body of troops. It carries a slightly old-fashioned, wartime flavor.

Common collocations

  • 兵隊(へいたい)になる: to become a soldier
  • 兵隊(へいたい)に行(い)く: to go off to military service

Similar words

  • 軍人(ぐんじん): military serviceman — more formal; includes officers
  • 兵士(へいし): soldier — neutral, standard term, common in news and writing
  • 自衛隊員(じえいたいいん): member of the Self-Defense Forces — the modern term for Japan's forces

Related Words

Compare: 軍人(ぐんじん) (military serviceman)
Compare: 兵士(へいし) (soldier)
general
Added 2026.5.16 12:10 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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