How to say "cowboy" in Japanese

• カウボーイCommon
  nounThe common word for a cowboy: the horseback cattle herder of the American West, as in Western films; for the familiar cowboy image, this loanword is the word you want.
  カウボーイが牛うしを牧草地ぼくそうちへ追おっていく。↗

  A cowboy is driving cattle to the pasture.
• 牧童ぼくどう
  nounLess common: a boy or young worker who herds cattle or sheep, a herdboy or young ranch hand. Its 'cowboy' sense is this young herder, so it is seldom the word for the Western cowboy.
  牧童ぼくどう達たちは馬うまで名なもない町まちに入はいっていった。↗

  The cowboys rode into an unknown town.

Use 「カウボーイ」 for the cowboy of the American West and Westerns; 牧童, less common, is a boy or young hand who herds livestock, and its 'cowboy' sense is that young-herder figure.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• カウボーイcowboy
• 牧童ぼくどうherdboy