Japanese Job Titles
Work culture is central to Japanese society, and knowing job vocabulary is essential for introductions and daily conversation. Japanese job titles often use kanji compounds that reveal the meaning of the profession. The word for doctor, 医者, literally combines "medicine" and "person." This guide covers common professions, corporate titles unique to Japan, and how to talk about work naturally.
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Common Professions — 職業 (Shokugyō)
Most Japanese job titles use kanji compounds. Unlike European languages, Japanese professions do not change based on gender. The same word applies to everyone.
Many Japanese job titles end in 士 (shi, specialist), 師 (shi, master), 員 (in, member), or 人 (nin/jin, person). Recognizing these kanji suffixes helps you decode unfamiliar job titles. For example, 弁護士 = defense + specialist = lawyer.
More Professions
These include both kanji-based titles and katakana loanwords from English. Modern professions tend to use katakana.
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Corporate Titles — 役職 (Yakushoku)
Japanese corporate hierarchy is highly structured. Titles are used as honorifics and attached to names in business settings. Knowing these is essential for doing business in Japan.
In Japanese business settings, you address colleagues by their title: 田中部長 (Tanaka-buchō). Never use first names in a business context unless invited to do so. The title replaces -san as an honorific.
Useful Phrases About Work
Here is how to talk about your career in Japanese:
- 医者です (isha desu) — I am a doctor
- 病院で働いています (byōin de hataraiteimasu) — I work at a hospital
- お仕事は何ですか？ (o-shigoto wa nan desu ka?) — What is your job?
- 転職しました (tenshoku shimashita) — I changed jobs
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "What is your job?" in Japanese?
The polite way is お仕事は何ですか？ (o-shigoto wa nan desu ka?). This uses the honorific prefix お before 仕事 (shigoto, work). A casual version is 仕事何してるの？ (shigoto nani shiteru no?).
What are Japanese corporate titles?
Japanese corporate hierarchy has specific titles: 社長 (shachō, president/CEO), 部長 (buchō, department head), 課長 (kachō, section chief), and 係長 (kakarichō, team leader). These are used as name suffixes: Tanaka-buchō.
Is "sensei" only for teachers?
先生 (sensei) literally means "one who came before" and is used for teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, and any respected expert. You might call your doctor "Tanaka-sensei" or your martial arts instructor "sensei." It is a title of respect, not just a job title.
What is a "salaryman" in Japanese?
サラリーマン (sarariiman) refers to a white-collar office worker at a Japanese company. The female equivalent is OL (オーエル, ōeru), short for "office lady," though this term is increasingly seen as outdated.
How do you state your profession in Japanese?
Use the pattern [profession] です (desu). For example, "医者です" (isha desu) means "I am a doctor." For more detail, say [place] で [profession] をしています: "病院で医者をしています" (byōin de isha o shiteimasu, I work as a doctor at a hospital).