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手に職を持つ (てにしょくをもつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

手てに職しょくを持もつ

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-tsu)

have a trade; have a marketable skill

Refers to possessing a practical, often manual, skill or trade that can earn a living. Commonly used in advice about self-reliance.

See also: 手に職をつける

手てに職しょくを持もっていれば、どこでも働はたらける。
If you have a trade, you can work anywhere.
彼かの

女じょ

は

若わか

い

うち

に

手て

に

職しょく

を

持も

つ

こと

の

大たい

切せつ

さ

を

説と

い

た

。

She preached the importance of having a marketable skill while young.

Written forms

手てに職しょくを持もつ
Standard kanji spelling for this expression.
手てに職しょくをもつ
Variant with 持つ in kana; less common but still used.

Kanji

手hand
職post, employment, work
持hold, have

Similar words

手てに職しょくをつける
手に職をつける means 'to acquire a trade/skill', focusing on the process of learning, while 手に職を持つ means 'to have/possess a trade/skill', focusing on the resulting state.

Etymology

A set phrase combining 手 (hand, skill), 職 (occupation, trade), and 持つ (to hold, possess). The expression is transparent and likely arose naturally from the idea of holding a skill in one's hands.