Yomi
ぷーたろう
Rōmaji
pūtarou
Type
slang
Meaning
a jobless person (with no intention to work)
Synonym
ニート, 無職, 自宅警備員, ひきこもり, ヒッキー
Additional Info
Its origin is unknown, but here 太郎 is used as a representative name for Japanese men (like “Jack” in “Jack of all trades” in English). Similarly, 山田太郎 (Yamada Taro) is often used as an example name in a sample of application forms (for women, 山田花子 (Yamada Hanako) is often used). Nonetheless, today 太郎 and 花子 are no longer common names.
Recently, ニート (from NEET: “Not in Education, Employment, or Training”) has been more commonly used to describe such people.
Example
去年、プー太郎だった
I was jobless last year.
