1A person without specialized knowledge, skill, or experience in a particular field; a non-professional, layperson, or amateur.
料理は素人だが、最近少しずつ上達してきた気がする。
I'm an amateur cook, but I feel like I've been slowly improving lately.
素人にもわかりやすいように、専門用語を使わずに説明してください。
Please explain it without technical jargon so that even a layperson can understand.
このコンテストは素人も参加できるので、気軽に応募してみた。
Since amateurs can also take part in this contest, I applied without much hesitation.
プロと素人では、動きの正確さが全然違う。
There's a huge difference in precision of movement between a professional and an amateur.
2A somewhat dated, euphemistic term for a respectable woman outside the nightlife/entertainment trade (i.e., not a hostess or geisha); requires care in modern usage.
昔の小説には、「素人の娘とは付き合うな」という言い回しが出てくることがある。
Older novels sometimes contain the phrase "don't get involved with a respectable young woman" (in a certain social context).
3An archaic Kyoto-dialect term for an unlicensed prostitute; entirely unused in modern Japanese.