Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 事業 | jigyō | [d͡ʑiɡʲo̞ː] (narrow) |
| 企業 | kigyō | [kʲiɡʲo̞ː] (narrow) |
The term for business in Japanese varies significantly based on whether you are talking about a specific undertaking, a legal corporation or a small-scale venture. You might also encounter the katakana term ビジネス, which is an imported word from English used in Japanese business jargon.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 事業 is composed of 事 (matter/affair) and 業 (business/work/industry). The word 企業 is composed of 企 (plan/scheme) and 業 (business/work/industry).
Which one should you use?
事業 refers to a specific business undertaking, project or the act of conducting business operations. In contrast, 企業 refers to the business as a legal entity, a corporation or a commercial enterprise. For example, you can use the term 大企業 to refer to a large corporation or big business by adding 大 (big) to 企業.
How do you pronounce it?
jigyō
Did you know?
- The kanji for 'business' in 事業 (jigyō), the character 業, is also the same character used to describe 'karma' in a Buddhist context.
- In professional settings, people often avoid saying 'my business' and instead use 弊社 to refer to their own company with extreme humility.
- The character 業 found in both 事業 and 企業 is also used in 卒業 to mean 'graduation', as completing a course of study is seen as finishing a particular work.
Examples in context
- 兄は大企業に就職した。My elder brother got a position in a big business.This sentence uses 企業 to describe a large business.Tatoeba #176573 by arnab, translation #237890 by Swift
- 彼は事業を息子に譲った。He turned over the business to his son.This sentence uses 事業 to describe turning over a business.Tatoeba #105379 by bunbuku, translation #286525 by CK
- 私は事業を息子に譲った。I turned over the business to my son.Tatoeba #156440 by bunbuku, translation #258094 by CK
- この 会社 (かいしゃ, kaisha) は 大規模な 事業 (じぎょう, jigyō) を 展開しています。This company is engaging in large-scale business activities.
- 山田さん (やまださん, Yamada-san) は 小さな 商売 (しょうばい, shōbai) を 始めました。Mr. Yamada started a small business.
- 日本 (にほん, Nihon) での 仕事 (しごと, shigoto) は どうですか？How is business/work going in Japan?
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are discussing their future career plans.
- 結衣 Yui将来は何をしたいの？Shourai wa nani o shitai no?What do you want to do in the future?
- 健太 Kentaいつか自分の事業を始めたいんだ。Itsuka jibun no jigyou o hajimetai n da.I want to start my own business someday.
- 結衣 Yuiすごいね！どんな事業なの？Sugoi ne! Donna jigyou na no?That's amazing! What kind of business?
- 健太 KentaIT系の事業を考えているよ。IT-kei no jigyou o kangaete iru yo.I'm thinking of an IT-related business.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “business” translations and entries 事業, 企業, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
