Neither of these are that great. I can't say "相棒" really has the same connotation as "partner" does. It sounds more like something a girl would say when she doesn't want to commit to the relationship rather than a gender neutral alternative like it is in English.

some discussion about it:
https://oshiete.goo.ne.jp/qa/11219144.html
correction, the word here is actually 相方 but it still sounds like something you would use to avoid commitment rather than avoiding gender.
https://blog.goo.ne.jp/toshikitoma/e/a9c345d6edebe86721ecb579224af87e

this blog post does suggest it's closer to how "partner" is used in English so I should take back that the top one is inaccurate.

I am weary of accepting "based" translations just as much as "woke" ones, I think it's usually best to avoid any kind of baggage that might not exist in the other language.
「相方」?「相棒」? いや「パートナー」 - レイキャビク西街ひとり日誌 (Blog from Iceland)

こんにちは/こんばんは。清涼感アップ用ピックその1MyndinereftirJose_Llamas@unsplash.com今回は、あえて周囲に満ち満ちている暗いニュースをスルーし、ワタシの内部に巣食っている疑問にフォーカスして、現実逃避を試みたいと思います。最近、結婚している夫婦を含めて、自分のお相手を「相方」と呼ぶ人が増えているのだそうです。結婚しているカップルの場合は、例えば「主人」「旦那」あるいは「ヨメ」「家内」とか呼ぶのになにか抵抗を感じる人が増えているようですね。それはわかりますよね。「主人」とか「家内」っていうのは、もう言葉自体が性差別的なニュアンスを含んでいますし、私がかりに今結婚していたとしても、この呼称は使わないだろうと思います。その代わりにしばらく使われていたのが「ワイフ」「ハズ」と...「相方」?「相棒」?いや「パートナー」

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@Tsuki It's definitely good to be sceptic and verify.
Thanks for finding the blogpost. It does seem the usage is close to English.

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