Translation guide
Describes someone who has a job and works for an employer. Japanese expressions vary by employment type, formality, and context.
To refer to someone who is employed in a neutral, everyday sense.
The most common word for a company employee, typically a full-time office worker. It implies working for a specific company.
彼は大手企業の会社員です。
He is an employee of a major corporation.
A slightly older or more general term for a salaried worker. It emphasizes being employed rather than self-employed.
父は真面目な勤め人でした。
My father was a diligent employed person.
A formal, legal term for an employee, often used in labor statistics or contracts.
被雇用者の権利を守る法律があります。
There are laws that protect the rights of employees.
To specify a permanent, full-time worker with benefits, as opposed to part-time or contract.
Refers to a regular, full-time employee with a permanent contract and full benefits. This is the standard 'employed person' in the Japanese corporate system.
彼女は今年正社員になりました。
She became a full-time employee this year.
A more formal term for a regular employee, often used in economic contexts.
正規雇用者の割合が増えています。
The proportion of regular employees is increasing.
To describe an employed person by their job function or sector.
A loanword for a male white-collar office worker. It carries connotations of a stable but demanding corporate life. Often used for 'salaryman'.
毎朝、駅にはたくさんのサラリーマンがいます。
Every morning, there are many office workers at the station.
Specifically a government employee or civil servant.
A general term for an employee of a company, often used in business contexts. It can include both full-time and part-time workers.
To refer to someone employed but not on a permanent full-time basis.
Short for パートタイマー, a part-time worker, often used for housewives or students working limited hours.
彼女はスーパーでパートとして働いています。
She works part-time at a supermarket.
A part-time or casual job, typically for students or temporary workers. Often shortened to バイト.
A temporary staff member dispatched by an agency.
会社員 is the neutral, standard term for a company employee. サラリーマン is a loanword that specifically evokes the image of a male white-collar worker and is often used in casual conversation. 勤め人 is a more traditional, slightly dated term that emphasizes the state of being employed rather than the company affiliation.
The English phrase 'employed person' is rarely translated directly. Instead, Japanese uses specific terms based on employment type. Using a vague term like 雇用されている人 is grammatically correct but unnatural in most contexts.
彼は市役所の公務員です。
He is a municipal government employee.
この工場には500人の従業員がいます。
This factory has 500 employees.
大学生のとき、コンビニでアルバイトをしていました。
When I was a university student, I worked part-time at a convenience store.
A contract employee with a fixed term, not a permanent position.
彼は契約社員としてIT企業で働いています。
He works as a contract employee at an IT company.
派遣社員としてデータ入力の仕事をしています。
I work as a temp doing data entry.