general contractor; civil engineering and construction firm
Refers to a company or business that handles both civil engineering (earthworks, infrastructure) and building construction. Often used in business and news contexts.
A local general contractor undertook the bridge construction.
My father runs a small civil engineering and construction company.
There's a construction firm in this village that's been around for generations.
My father has run a construction business for many years.
My brother works at a local construction firm.
ゼネコン refers to a large-scale, often nationwide general contractor, whereas 土建屋 can be a small local firm as well as a big one.
工務店 usually denotes a small local building firm focused mainly on houses, while 土建屋 covers both earthworks and construction more broadly.
建設業者 is a formal, neutral term for a construction business used in official contexts, while 土建屋 is a more colloquial, sometimes slightly derogatory way to refer to the same kind of firm.
Formed from 土建, “civil engineering and building construction,” plus 屋, denoting a business or practitioner.