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Kotomora

業

business, vocation, arts, performance

JLPTN4StatusJōyō · grade 3FrequencyTop 100Strokes13

Readings

On'yomi

  • ギョウ
  • ゴウ

Kun'yomi

  • わざ

Nanori

  • なり
  • のぶ

Meaning

業 centers on sustained, purposeful activity: one's work, trade, or profession, and by extension the skilled performance or art that comes from it.

Most common words using 業

24 of 1,509
  • 企業きぎょう
    N3

    enterprise; business; company; corporation

  • 事業じぎょう
    N1

    business; enterprise; venture; (commercial) activity; (business) operation; industry

  • 営業えいぎょう
    N4

    business; trade; operations

  • 卒業そつぎょう
    N4

    graduation; completion (of a course)

  • 作業さぎょう
    N3

    work; operation; task

  • 業務ぎょうむ
    N1

    business; work; operations; service; duties

  • 業界ぎょうかい
    N1

    business world; business circles; (the) industry

  • 授業じゅぎょう
    N5

    lesson; class; teaching; instruction; classwork; schoolwork

  • 業ぎょう
    N2

    work; business; company; agency

  • 産業さんぎょう
    N4

    industry

  • 業者ぎょうしゃ
    N1

    trader; dealer; businessperson; company; vendor; supplier; manufacturer; maker; contractor

  • 職業しょくぎょう
    N3

    occupation; profession; job; vocation; trade; calling; business

  • 残業ざんぎょう
    N4

    overtime (work)

  • 農業のうぎょう
    N3

    agriculture; farming

  • 創業そうぎょう

    establishment (of a business); founding

  • 工業こうぎょう
    N4

    (manufacturing) industry

  • 商業しょうぎょう
    N3

    commerce; trade; business

  • 副業ふくぎょう

    side job; sideline; subsidiary business

  • 業績ぎょうせき
    N2

    achievement; performance; results; work; contribution

  • 開業かいぎょう

    opening a business; opening a practice

  • 失業しつぎょう
    N3

    unemployment

  • 仕業しわざ

    deed (esp. negative); act; action; one's doing; one's work

  • 休業きゅうぎょう
    N2

    suspension of business; temporary closure (of a store, school, etc.); shutdown; holiday

  • 本業ほんぎょう

    principal occupation; core business

Explore all words using 業 →

Study

Etymology

業 originally depicted a type of rack or stand used in music or ritual, later extended to mean work, profession, or performance. The modern form is highly stylized and its component breakdown is not straightforward.

Meaning mnemonic

The top 业 looks like a simplified workbench, the middle 䒑 like a pair of hands, and the bottom 未 like an unfinished task. Picture a craftsperson at a bench, hands busy with a work in progress: that's 業, your business or art.

Reading mnemonic

For ギョウ, imagine a skilled performer named Gyo who turns every task into an art: Gyo -> ギョウ, and his performance is the heart of his business.