Translation guide
How to express income from work, business, or investments in Japanese, with attention to formality and context.
The money you receive regularly from your job or employment.
General term for income, including salary, wages, and other regular earnings. Neutral and widely used.
His monthly earnings are 300,000 yen.
My earnings increased, so I can now save money.
Specifically salary or wages paid by an employer. Common in work contexts.
Payday is the 25th of every month.
Earnings from work, often with a nuance of money earned through effort. Can be casual.
He supports his family with his earnings.
The money a company makes after expenses, or earnings from business activities.
Profit, earnings of a business. Formal and standard in financial contexts.
This year's earnings increased by 20% compared to last year.
Revenue or earnings, often used in business reports. Slightly more formal than 利益.
Income, often used in tax or legal contexts. Can refer to personal or corporate earnings.
Money earned from investments, such as stocks, bonds, or real estate.
Money earned outside of one's main job, such as freelance work or a side hustle.
収入 is the broadest term for income from any source. 給料 specifically means salary from an employer. 稼ぎ emphasizes the act of earning through work and can sound more casual or personal.
The English word 'earnings' can be translated in many ways depending on context. Using a single Japanese word for all situations may sound unnatural. Choose based on whether you mean salary, business profit, or investment returns.
会社の収益は安定している。
The company's earnings are stable.
Tax is levied according to earnings.
この債券の利回りは3%です。
The earnings yield on this bond is 3%.
彼女は内職で月に2万円稼いでいる。
She earns 20,000 yen a month from her side job at home.