noun
rustic; country bumpkin; countryfolk
Refers to a person from the countryside, often with a nuance of being unsophisticated or simple. Can be used neutrally or slightly pejoratively.
彼は都会に出てきたばかりの野人だ。
He is a rustic who has just come to the city.
noun
ruffian; unrefined person
Describes a rough, uncultured, or boorish person. Less common than sense 1 and may overlap with it in some contexts.
彼の乱暴な振る舞いはまるで野人のようだ。
His violent behavior is just like that of a ruffian.
noun
non-politician; civilian; non-government person
Used in political contexts to refer to someone outside the government or political establishment. Often implies a fresh, untainted perspective.
彼は野人として政治の世界に飛び込んだ。
He jumped into the political world as an outsider.
noun
Yeren; legendary mountain-dwelling hominid
Refers to the Yeren, a cryptid similar to Bigfoot or the Yeti, said to inhabit the mountains of Hubei, China. A specialized, domain-specific term.
中国の湖北省には野人と呼ばれる未確認生物の伝説がある。
In China's Hubei province, there is a legend of an unidentified creature called the Yeren.
Composed of 野 (field, wild) and 人 (person). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the compound naturally suggests a person of the wilds or countryside.