Translation guide
How to express organizational membership, group belonging, or formal association in Japanese.
What is your affiliation?
Formal, used when asking about someone's organization.
I am affiliated with ABC Company.
Stating that someone belongs to a company, school, club, or other formal group.
Standard, neutral way to say 'is affiliated with' or 'belongs to' an organization. Suitable for resumes, introductions, and formal contexts.
He is affiliated with the University of Tokyo.
I belong to the sales department.
Emphasizes being a member of a group. Slightly more personal than 所属. Often used in speeches or motivational contexts.
Noun meaning 'affiliation' or 'belonging'. Often used in forms or as a heading. Can be combined with 先 (さき) to mean 'place of affiliation'.
Formal, somewhat stiff. Used in official documents or classifications. Less common in daily speech.
This species belongs to the mammals.
Talking about joining or being in a school club, circle, or hobby group.
Most natural way to say 'I'm in a club'. Casual and common among students.
Describing association with a political party, religious group, or ideological movement.
Stating a connection to a university, research institute, or professional body, often in formal writing or introductions.
The simplest way to state academic affiliation. Use your position or department after の.
Describing a connection that is not formal membership, such as being associated with a group or movement.
The English word 'affiliation' is often used in formal contexts. In Japanese, directly translating it as 所属 (しょぞく) can sound stiff in casual conversation. Use simpler patterns like 〜に入っている or 〜の〜です when appropriate.
What club are you in?
所属している is formal and suitable for resumes, business, or official documents. is casual and used for clubs, teams, or informal groups. Choose based on the situation.
Please state your affiliation.
Formal, often seen on forms.
We are members of the same team.
所属先を教えてください。
Please tell me your affiliation.
I'm in the tennis club.
Short, casual statement of club affiliation. Often used with の to modify nouns.
He's in the soccer club.
She supports the Democratic Party.
Specifically means 'party member'. Use only when the person has formal membership.
My father is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Means 'follower/believer' of a religion or cult. Can carry a negative nuance if used for non-religious groups.
He is a follower of that new religion.
I'm Tanaka from the University of Tokyo.
Formal written style for 'a researcher affiliated with...'. Common in academic papers.
A researcher affiliated with the national research institute presented.
He seems to have a connection to that incident.
Implies involvement, often in an activity or project. Can be neutral or slightly negative depending on context.
She is involved in volunteer activities.
He is affiliated with a company. (formal)
He is in the soccer club. (casual)
His political affiliation is unclear.