Translation guide
A sole proprietor is an individual who owns and runs a business alone, without partners or incorporation. In Japanese, this concept is expressed through specific legal terms, descriptive phrases, and contextual references to the person or business structure.
Referring to the legal status of a business owned and operated by one person, without incorporation.
The standard legal term for a sole proprietor in Japan. Used in tax, registration, and formal business contexts.
彼は個人事業主として登録している。
He is registered as a sole proprietor.
Refers to the business itself (sole proprietorship). Often used in phrases like 個人事業を営む (to run a sole proprietorship).
個人事業を始めるには、開業届を提出します。
To start a sole proprietorship, you submit a business start-up notification.
A broader term meaning 'self-employed person'. It includes sole proprietors but also other self-employed individuals. Common in everyday conversation.
父は自営業者で、小さな店を経営している。
My father is self-employed and runs a small shop.
Referring to the individual who is the sole proprietor, emphasizing their role as the single owner-operator.
Same as above, but used to refer to the person. Context makes it clear.
個人事業主は、自分で確定申告をしなければならない。
A sole proprietor must file their own tax return.
A descriptive phrase meaning 'a person who is self-employed'. Less formal, used in conversation.
彼は自営業をしている人で、フリーランスのデザイナーだ。
He's self-employed, a freelance designer.
Contrasting sole proprietorship with incorporated entities, often in discussions about liability, taxes, or scale.
A descriptive phrase meaning 'a business form that is not a corporation'. Used in explanatory or comparative contexts.
個人事業主は、法人ではない事業形態の一つです。
A sole proprietorship is one type of unincorporated business form.
個人事業主 is the precise legal term for a sole proprietor registered as such. 自営業者 is a broader, everyday term for anyone who is self-employed, including freelancers and small business owners who may not be formally registered as a sole proprietor.
Do not translate 'sole proprietor' word-for-word as 唯一の所有者 (sole owner) or 単独経営者 (sole manager). These are not standard terms and may cause confusion.
彼女は5年前から個人事業主です。
She has been a sole proprietor for five years.
個人事業主として、借金に対して個人で責任を負います。
As a sole proprietor, you are personally liable for debts.
Literally 'individual management'. Can imply a small, owner-operated business, but not strictly a legal term. Often used for small shops or restaurants.
あの店は個人経営のラーメン屋だ。
That shop is a sole-proprietor ramen restaurant.