Sara
POSTMAN - POSTWOMAN vs. MAIL CARRIER/LETTER CARRIER?

Hi everyone. 

Could you explain to me the difference between POSTMAN /POSTWOMAN and MAIL CARRIER, LETTER CARRIER, MAILMAN?

Is one term better than the other?


Thank you in advance. 

2017年9月12日 12:50
コメント · 3
2

Hello, Sara.

A postman is a man who delivers letters, packages, etc. as a job. A postwoman is a female version of one of these.

Mail carrier, letter carrier and mailman (or mail-woman) are all different names for a postman or postwoman. The most common word in America is "mailman", while in the UK, "postman" is mostly used. ("Mail carrier" and "letter carrier" are less common.) But either can be used in both countries. It doesn't matter - the locals will still understand you.

I hope this helped!

2017年9月12日
2

Where I live in the U.S. we say mailman or maillady. Letter carrier is more of an industry - specific term.

Wikipedia has a good article on the different titles.

2017年9月12日
They all mean the same, though I've not heard "Mail Carrier" or "Postwoman" used here in the US, though it could most certainly be used in other parts of the country. I typically hear "Mailman" or "Letter carrier" used most of the time here.  "Letter carrier" is the preferred gender-free version, I believe.
2017年9月12日