Occupation
This lesson will serve as a break from pure grammar, focusing on words that relate to occupations. Many people prefer that their work go hand in hand with what they study or specialize.
Firstly, to ask what someone’s job or occupation is, use one of the following:
1. お仕事は（何ですか）？
What do you do for work?
Literally: What is your work
2. ご職業は（何ですか）？
What is your occupation?
Word Note: Another word that you may hear for “occupation” is 生業（なりわい）, which also translates to “livelihood.” This implies a more sentimental nuance.
In response, you may expect a wide variety of answers.
3.「お仕事は（何ですか）？」「普通の主婦です。」
“What do you for work?” “I am a typical housewife.”
The answer may even prompt you to ask for more details.
4.
「ご職業は（何ですか）？」
「普通の会社員です」
「どんな仕事をなさっているんですか」
「製薬会社で薬の開発をしています」
「えー！すごいですね！全然普通じゃないんですか！」
“What is your occupation?”
“I’m a typical white-collar worker.”
“What kind of work do you do?”
“I develop medicine at a pharmaceutical company.”
“Wow! That’s amazing! That isn’t typical at all, you know?!”
Similarly to how in English you can say, “I am an accountant” and “I do accounting,” demonstrating occupation can often either be expressed with the copula (だ・です) or via ～をしている. What’s different in Japanese is that the latter ends up translating as “I do (work as) a…”
5a. 会計士です。
5b. 会計士をしています。
5a. I am an accountant.
5b. I do accounting/I am an accountant.
Whenever occupation is being described in more complex sentence structures, more emphasis is naturally placed on the nature of occupying that role, resulting in ～をしている only being grammatical.
6. 計算が得意なので、会計士をしています。
I [do accounting/am an accountant] because I am skilled at doing calculations.
This should not be confused with simply adding modifiers to the noun describing the occupation. In this case, “to be” statements must naturally be formed with the copula and not with ～をしている.
7. 石田は信頼のおける会計士だと見なされている。
Ishida is deemed to be a trustworthy accountant.
If one’s status can not be understood as a role that you are serving to provide for yourself, then ～をしている may not be appropriate. One grey area is when describing being in school as an occupation.
8a. 学生をしている。△
8b. 学生です。◎
I am a student.
If you view your schooling as your job, then 8a may still be said, but it is generally not viewed as a proper response. Conversely, many women who stay at home for their households do often view their work as their occupation, resulting in Ex. 9 being grammatical.
9. 主婦をしています。
I am a housewife.
Job-Related Terminology
Aside from knowing how to ask about someone’s job and knowing how to say what your job is, you are still tasked with learning occupation-related terminology from various angles in order to assimilate in a Japanese work environment.
To streamline the learning process, we’ll be learning key terminology via charts organized by theme. Each chart will be followed with example sentences that thematically build off the words shown.
| The Workplace | ||
| 本業 Main occupation | 不動産屋Real estate agent | 労働Labor |
| 副業 Side job | レストランRestaurant | 勤務時間Working hours |
| （アル）バイト Part-time job | ファミレスCasual dining restaurant | 営業時間Hours of operation |
| 会社 Company | 工場Factory | 残業Overtime |
| 働く場Where one works | ショッピングセンター Shopping center | 休憩Break |
| 就職活動・就活Job searching | 店 Shop/store/restaurant | 稼働時間Utilization time |
| 業者 Vendor | 店舗Shop/store | 管理職Management position |
| 役 Role/duty/function/position | レジ係Cashier | 管理人Caretaker |
| 作業 Work/task | 従業員Employee | 管理者Administrator |
| 担当者 Person in charge | 店員Store employee | 運営Administration |
| 関係者 Person involved | ～で働く・～に勤めるTo work at | 経営Running a business |
| 経営者 Proprietor/manager | 作業員Blue-collar worker | 活動Operation |
| 主任 Senior staff/chief | 会社員Office/white-collar worker | 職員 Personnel |
| 取締役Company director | 事務所・オフィスOffice | 団体Association |
| 店長 Shop/store manager | 職場Workplace | 施設Facility |
| 会長 Chairman | 勤務場所・勤め先Place of work | 組合Union |
| 課長 Section manager | 作業現場Job site | 仕事場 Working area |
| 部長 General manager | 最高経営者・CEOChief executive officer | 効率性Efficiency |
| 求人Recruiting | 応募するTo apply | 組織Organization |
| 出勤する | 通勤する To commute to work | 退社する To leave work To resign |
| 業界Business world/industry | 退勤するTo clock out/leave work | 退職するTo retire/resign |
| 貴社・御社Your (honorable) company | 帰社するTo return to the office | 辞職する To (willfully) resign |
Word Notes:
1. 「で働く」vs 「に勤める」: When working at a company as a full-time position, ～に勤める is used. When referring to just working at a job, ～で働く is used.
2. 退社 can both mean “to leave one’s company of work after completing one’s tasks” as well as “to quit/resign” said company. Although it may seem confusion would arise often because of this, the latter meaning is typically qualified with a time phrase as a matter of business etiquette. It is highly unlikely that this word is used in total isolation because of how it could be interpreted either way otherwise. 退勤 and 退職 may be used to avoid ambiguity, but practical use, 退社 is still incredibly common.
3. 帰社する is sometimes confused with 退社する even by native speakers, but it actually means “to return to one’s company of work.” This expression is not all that common in the spoken language due to being homophonous with 貴社, which is an honorific term used to refer to another person’s company.
4. 貴社 and 御社 are both honorific words used to refer to another person’s company, but the former is more prominent in the written language, whereas the latter is more prominent in the spoken language. Similarly, 当社 refers to one’s place of work, but when you wish to speak of said more humbly. you would use 弊社.
10. 部長は部門や部署の責任者で、最終的な意思決定を担うことも多い役職だ。
The role of being the head of a department is being the person responsible in a post or division, and is a role that often involves handling ultimate decision-making.
11. 業務全体の効率性を高めたいと考えています。
(We) are wanting to increase efficiency of overall operations.
12. 他の事業所にも応募していますか？
Have you applied to other establishments?
13. 私は入社1年目で副店長に昇格し、入社3年目から店長を務めています。
I was promoted to deputy store manager in a year of being in the company, and I’ve been the store manager since my third year from entering.
14. 取締役は株主の期待に応えるために会社運営に大きく関わっている。
A board member is deeply involved in the operations of a company to meet the expectations of stockholders.
15. 従業員を雇う場合には、給与支払や社会保険加入の手続きなど必要になる公的な手続きがいくつかあります。
When hiring an employee, there are several procedures regarding public affairs such as wage payment and social security enrollment that are necessary.
Word Note: 給料 and 給与 both mean “pay/wage,” but the latter includes any and all compensation for work, whereas 給料 only refers to monetary earnings.
16. 関係者以外立入禁止
No Unauthorized Persons
17. 委員会の会長の役に就きました。
I got the title of chairman in a committee.
18. 残業を減らすには、全体の仕事量を減らさなくてはなりません。
To decrease overtime, you must decrease the overall workload.
19. 担当者が不在にしている時に、取引先から担当者宛に電話がかかってくることはビジネスシーンではよくある光景です。
Getting phone calls addressed to the person in charge from clients when the person charge isn’t available is a common sight in the business scene.
20. 国立大学であれ私立大学であれ、大学職員になるには採用試験に合格する必要があります。
Whether it be a national university or a private university, you will need to have passed an employment examination to become a university faculty member.
21. 職業（として）はお茶屋を経営しています。
As for my occupation, I manage a teahouse.
22. 一般社員と最も距離が近い役職が主任です。
The post closest to rank-and-file employees is the chief/senior staff.
23. アメリカのWalmartのレジ係の平均時給は何ドルかご存知ですか。
Do you know how many dollars the average hourly is for cashiers in US Walmarts?
24. 会社が必要な休憩を取らせなかった場合、一応６か月の懲役または３０万円以下の罰金を科される可能性はあります。
In the event that a company doesn’t give you your obligated break time, there is the possibility that will receive roughly six months of penal servitude or a fine of $300,000 yen.
25. 私はソフトウェア開発を担当しています。
I’m in charge of software development.
26. 私の店舗も組合に加盟したいのですが？
But my store always wants to join a union?
27. たまに残業をするときも21：00までには退社しています。
Even when (I) seldom have overtime, I’m out of the office by 9 PM.
28. 「嘉藤さんはどうしましたか」「先月退社しましたよ」
“What’s happened with Mr. Kato?” “He quit last month.”
29. 一身上の都合により、本日をもちまして退職させていただきます。
Due to personal circumstances, I shall be retiring from this job as of today.
30. 御社で面接を受ける際、必要な持ちものはございますか？
Is there anything I need to bring when I interview at your company?
31. 貴社のご期待に添えるよう、一層精進してまいります。
I shall practice due diligence to meet your company’s expectations.
32. 本業は年収 500 万円のサラリーマン。副業では年収 100 万円です。この場合税金ってどれくらいかかるんですか？ そもそも副業って確定申告しないといけないんですか？
My mine job is as a salaryman with an annual income of 5 million yen. With my side job, I get an annual income of 1 million yen. How much do I pay in taxes in this situation? Do I have to declare for a side job in the first place?
33. この間、バイト先に給料を受け取りに行ってきました。店長に、「給料取りに来ました」と言ったところ、「給料を取りに来たんじゃなくて、貰いに来たでしょ？」というようなことを言われました。働く人がいなければ店は回らないので、そんな下手に出る必要はないと思うのです。働いたその瞬間からお金を受け取る権利はあるとして、月末まで待つのだからその分は店が私に借金していると考えてもいいと思っています。
The other day, I went to my part-time job to get my check. When I asked my store manager, “I came to get my check,” I was corrected with, “don’t you mean you came to ‘receive’ your check?” If there were no workers, the store wouldn’t run, so I don’t think going down to that level is necessary. I think that provided you have right to receive money the moment you’ve worked, since you’re waiting till the end of the month, the store is in debt to you.
| Common Occupations | |
| サラリーマン Office worker/salaryman | OL Office lady |
| 駅員Station staff | 受付（人）・受付係 Receptionist |
| 乗務員Crew member | 事務員Office worker |
| 公務員 Civil servant/government worker | 銀行員 Bank worker |
| 工員Factor worker | 警察官 Policeman |
| 警備員Security guard | 看護師 Nurse |
| 販売員Salesperson | 秘書Secretary |
| 俳優Actor | 女優Actress |
| 料理人Cook | 牧師 Pastor |
| 教師Teacher | 教授・博士Professor |
| 電気工Electrician | ボランティア Volunteer |
| 大工 Carpenter | 配管工 Plumber |
| 医者 Doctor | 歯医者 Dentist |
| 税理士Tax advisor | 家政婦 Housekeeper/maid |
Word Notes:
1. In slightly dated Japanese, 看護士 and 看護婦 were preferred to refer to male and female nurses respectively, but nowadays, 看護師 is used to refer to nurses indiscriminately of biological sex.
2. 教授 is the highest level that a higher education instructor may have, whereas 博士 is another individual who has attained the highest academic degree. As for the pronunciation of 博士, the colloquial pronunciation is はかせ, but the ‘proper’ pronunciation is はくし.
34. 道に迷ったため、駅員に道順を尋ねました。
I asked a station worker for directions because I got lost.
35. 無料で気軽に税理士に相談する方法を徹底調査しました。
We thoroughly investigated the ways to consult a tax advisor for free at ease.
36. お父さんが慶應義塾大学の教授をしています。
My father is a professor as Keio University.
37. 有名な俳優になりたい。
I want to be come a famous actor.
38. お医者さんに診てもらいましたか。
Have you seen a doctor?
39. 秘書歴２０年に突入しました！
My history of being a secretary has entered 20 years!
40. 日本語を教えるボランティアをしています。
I volunteer to teach Japanese.
41. 料理人の世界は難しいと聞きます。
I hear that the world of cooks is tough.
42. 勤務時間外の私生活においても公務員としての立場を認識しなければなりません。
Even in one’s personal life outside work hours, one must be aware of one’s position as a public servant.
43. OLですがキャバ嬢始めました！
I’m an office lady, but I’ve begun being a hostess (at a bar).
44. 配管工に必要な資格を会社負担にて取得できます。
You can obtain the necessary qualifications for a being a plumber at the company’s expense.
45. 警備員は、施設や道路の安全を守る職業です。
Security work is a vocation in which you protect the safety of facilities and roads.
46. 医師には直接聞きにくいことを看護師に聞いてくる方もいらっしゃったりします。
There are also people who come up to nurses to ask things that are hard to directly ask a doctor.
47. 公務員を志望している人の中には、「待遇がよい・安定している」という理由で志望しているという人もいるかもしれません。
Among those wishing to be a public servant, there may also be those who are wishing to be one for reasons such as “the work conditions being good” or that it’s “stable work.”
48. かつてはお金持ちの家で見られた家政婦が普通家庭にも普及し、年々ニーズが高まっています。
Maids, who used to be seen in the homes of wealthy people, have become widespread even in normal households, and each year, demand for them goes up.
49. 鈴木武夫は、現在は、東京・銀座の高級割烹店の料理長を務めている。
Takeo Suzuki currently serves as head chief at a high-class Japanese restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo.
Word Note: The use of ～長 instead of ～人 indicates that he is the “head chief.”
Occupations and the Expertise
Many occupations are directly tied to an expertise and/or field of research. Of course, several kinds of occupations may handle the same kind of expertise.
| 専門Expertise | 研究分野Field of Research | ～を職業とする人Those Who Do ～ As Their Occupation |
| 医療 Medical care | 医学 Medical science | 医者・医師 Doctor |
| 建築 Architecture | 建築学 Architecture | 建築家 Architect 建築士 Licensed architect建設作業員 Construction worker工事作業員 Construction crew |
| 工業 Manufacturing | 工学 Engineering | 工学者 Engineer技術者 Technician |
| 法律 Law | 法律学 Jurisprudence | 弁護士 Lawyer/attorney裁判員 Juror/citizen judge裁判官 Judge裁判長 Presiding judge |
| 文芸 Literature/the arts | 文学Literature | 文学者Literary scholar作家 Author |
| 教育 Education | 教育学 Pedagogy | 教師 Teacher先生 Teacher (respectful title) |
| 農業 Agriculture | 農学 Agronomy | 農家 Farmer農業者 Agricultural worker農学者 Agronomist |
| 漁業 Fishing industry漁労・漁撈 Fishery (self-sustaining)水産業 Fishing industry (at large) | 水産学 Fisheries science | 漁師Fisherman漁夫 (outdated)Fisherman |
| 金融（業） Finance | 経済学 Economics | 経済学者Economist金融業者Financier投資家Investor |
| 芸術 Art美術 Fine art | 芸術学 Art studies | 芸術家・美術家・アーティストArtist詩人 Poet画家 Painter/artist |
| 製薬 Medicine manufacture | 薬学 Pharmaceutics | 製薬開発（研究）者 Drug develop(ment research)er薬学（研究）者 Pharmaceutic researcher |
Word Notes:
1. 医師 implies that the doctor meets the legal criteria to perform medicine. Meaning, that individual has an 医師免許証 (doctor’s license). In everyday speech, however, it is 医者 that is primarily used to refer to someone who treats people.
2. 漁業 indicates fishery for profit, whereas 漁撈 indicates fishery that may not necessarily be linked to one’s job. As for 水産業, it encompasses not just the act of catching fish but what happens to the fish afterward such as 水産加工業 (seafood processing).
50. 違法な金融業者からは絶対に借りないでください。
Please never borrow from unlawful money brokers.
51. 梨山は評論家として雑誌や新聞にアート作品の批評を書いています。
Nashiyama writes critiques of art pieces in magazines and newspapers as a commentator.
52. アメリカの大学で農学を専攻しようと考えています。
I’m wishing to major in agriculture at a US university.
53. 弁護士は法律を隅から隅まで記憶しているのですか。
Do lawyers have the law memorized from A to Z?
54. 就職して漁師となる場合、給与は歩合で決まることが多く、その月や年の売り上げによって変動します。
When you are employed to become a fisher, it is often the case that your pay is based on commission, which will fluctuate based on the sales of said month or year.
55. お酒に酔っていてよく覚えていません。弁護士が来たら話します。
I was drinking, so I don’t remember. I’ll talk once my lawyer arrives.
Suffixes Indicating Occupation: ～者 vs ～家
Just from the handfuls of occupation titles that have been showcased thus far, it is apparent that there are several suffixes used to indicate said doers. Of those suffixes, perhaps the ones most confused with each other are ～者 and～家. Whenever it is possible to use either suffix, it is generally the case that the latter indicates a professional, whereas the former indicates someone that happens to do said task or is at least the go-to form when professional status is not pertinent.
| Shared Meaning | Typical Doer | Professional |
| Translator | 翻訳者 | 翻訳家 |
| Creator/author/artist | 作者 | 作家 |
| Researcher | 研究者* | 研究家* |
Word Note:
1. At first glance, 研究者 and 研究家 seem to break the norm mentioned above. Typically, 研究者 is the go-to word for “researcher,” whereas 研究家 refers to someone who “professes to research/be a student of” some study. Or, more specifically, a 研究者 is viewed as someone who is affiliated with a research institution and is salaried, whereas a 研究家 is not necessarily subsisting off said expertise, but they are seriously invested in it. So, say if you are a recently hired 研究者, you may not have the findings to back being called a 研究家.
56. フリーランスとして働く翻訳家が増え安価に仕事を受け持つ人が増加しています。
There has been an increase in translators who freelance, and the number of people who take on projects at a low price has been increasing.
57. 作者を批判したくてたまらない人達っているよな。
There are those who can’t help but criticize authors/artists.
58. 芥川賞作家になりたいと思っていました。
I had wanted to become an Akutagawa Prize-recipient author.
59. ポケモンの研究家としては、すでに、オーキド博士という人物が第1回から登場している。
As for Pokémon researchers, Professor Oak has already been introduced since the first episode.
60. カトリック大学で癌生物学の研究者として活躍しています。
I’m working as a researcher in cancer biology at a Catholic university.
Word Note: 活躍する is far more involved than 働く. It implies that the doer is performing great effort.
Suffixes Indicating Occupation
As indicated earlier, there are various suffixes that identify occupations. All 12 suffixes below indicate people in any of the words that they appear.
| Suffix | Meaning |
| ～師 | A person skilled/specialized in a profession. |
| ～家 | Denotes an expert in an occupational role, or someone who demonstrates specialized skills/knowledge. |
| ～者 | A person engaged in a kind of work and/or may be categorized in an entity. |
| ～員 | A member of a certain team or a person engaged in a certain field. |
| ～手 | Marks a person who does a certain role, frequently involving hands-on activity. |
| ～士 | A licensed professional. |
| ～官 | An official. |
| ～人（じん） | The relation between the quantifier and ～人 when ～人 is read じん is far more intrinsic in nature than is the case when it is read as にん (see below). |
| ～工 | Marks an occupation requiring physical labor. |
| ～人（にん） | Simply put, the person tasked with a certain job. |
| ～夫 | Marks a male worker. Words with this suffix are often outdated for more politically correct terminology. |
| ～婦 | Marks a female worker. Words with this suffix are often outdated for more politically correct terminology. |
| ～師 | ～家 | ～者 | ～員 |
| 美容師 Hair stylist | 漫画家 Manga artist | 著者 Author | 公務員 Government worker |
| 調理師 Qualified chef | 実業家 Entrepreneur | 聖職者 Clergyman | 職員 Staff member |
| 整体師 Chiropractor | 落語家Rakugo story teller | 労働者 Laborer | 教員 Instructor |
| 技師 Technician | 陶芸家 Potter | 役者 Actor/man of wits | 駅員 Station employee |
| 薬剤師 Pharmacist | 企業家 Industrialist | 編集者 Editor | 店員 Store employee |
| 宣教師 Missionary | 音楽家 Musician | 芸者 Geisha | 大使館員 Embassy worker |
| ～手 | ～士 | ～官 | ～人（じん） |
| 歌手 Singer | 飛行士 Pilot | 警官 Police officer | 芸能人 Performer |
| 運転手 Driver | 運転士 Professional driver | 外交官 Diplomat | 詩人 Poet |
| 選手 Athlete | 弁護士 Lawyer | 検察官 Prosecutor | 軍人 Miltary personnel |
| 助手 Assistant | 看護士 (Male) nurse | 国務長官 Secretary of State | 法人 Corporate body |
| 投手 Pitcher | 消防士 Firefighter | 裁判官 Judge | 俳人 Haiku poet |
| ～工 | ～人（にん） | ～夫・婦 |
| 大工 Carpenter | 役人 Government official | 家政婦 Housekeeper |
| 配管工 Plumber | 商人 Merchant | 雑役婦 Cleaning woman |
| 木工 Woodworker | 職人 Artisan | 雑役夫 Cleaning man |
| 修理工 Repair man | 芸人 Comedian | 農夫 Farmer |
| 鉄工 Ironworker | 管理人 Administrator | 看護婦 (Female) nurse |
61. 美容師に向いている人はなんと言っても、美容やファッションなどに関して興味・関心が強い人です。
People who are suited to being hair stylists are, more than anything, people who are strongly interested/concerned with beauty treatment and fashion.
62. 民間人の宇宙旅行が増えることで、宇宙飛行士になりたい人は減少するのでしょうか？
With the increase of civilian space travel, will there be a decrease in people who wish to become astronauts?
63. 年齢で言うのなら遅い部類に入りますが、それでも芸人を目指したい！
I’d be in the category of late comers as far as age is concerned, but I’m still aiming to be a (TV) performer!
64. 消防士と付き合いたいなら、消防士の仕事に対する理解を深めながら心に余裕を持っておくことが大切です。
If you wish to date a firefighter, it’s crucial that you have room in your heart as you deepen your understanding in what their job as a firefighter entails.
65. お父さんは配管工をしています。
My father is a plumber.
Fields of Study
Some of the most prestigious jobs in society are held by experts (専門家) in specific fields of study (研究分野), and as we saw earlier, the suffix ～学 meaning “the study of,” is fundamental in creating those sort of terms. The fields of study, or subjects, listed below are more attuned to research positions, also serving to showcase the sort of things you might study in schooling.
For the words showcased below, the way to turn the field of study into the person who conducts that study is adding the suffix ～者 after the suffix ～学.
| Subject | -Ist/-Er |
| 科学 Science | 科学者 Scientist |
| 化学 Chemistry | 化学者 Chemist |
| 生物学 Biology | 生物学者 Biologist |
| 天文学 Astronomy | 天文学者 Astronomist |
| 言語学 Linguistics | 言語学者 Linguist |
| 地理学 Geography | 地理学者 Geographer |
| 地質学 Geology | 地質学者 Geologist |
| 物理学 Physics | 物理学者 Physicist |
| 数学 Math | 数学者 Mathematician |
| 宗教学 Religious Studies | 宗教学者 Religion Scholar |
| 哲学 Philosophy | 哲学者 Philosopher |
| 心理学 Psychology | 心理学者 Psychologist |
Word Notes:
1. Due to 科学 (science) and 化学 (chemistry) being homophonous, many speakers choose to colloquially pronounce the later as ばけがく to distinguish them in the spoken language.
2. In the context of university, there are two words that translate to “to major/specialize in”: ～を専攻する and ～専門にする. The former is used to refer to what you are primarily studying in, and once you’ve gotten your degree and you wish to describe what you expertise is, you use the latter.
66. 俺もばけ学っていうなぁ。
Huh, I call it “bakegaku” too.
67. 大学では理学部数学科などに在籍するのが将来的に数学者になるためには望ましいといえるでしょう。
In college, it’s advisable to be enrolled in mathematics section of the Department of Science if one wishes to become a mathematician in the future.
68. 科学者になるには特別な資格は必要ありませんが、大学院を卒業して修士号や博士号を持っている人が働いています。
Although there are no particular requirements to becoming a scientist, it’s a field in which people who have graduated graduate school and have gained their master’s or doctor’s degrees.
69. 今【心理学者・精神科医】に診てもらってます。
I’m being seen now by a psychiatrist.
Word Note: 心理学者 describes a scholar of psychology, and although that person certainly has the qualifications to see patients, a physician who does this professionally is most often referred to as 精神科医.
70. 日本語教育と日本語学（言語学）を専門にしています。
I specialize in Japanese education and Japanese linguistics.