How to Say "Occupation" in Japanese

職業

shokugyō[ɕo̞kɯ̟ɡʲo̞ː]

The English phrase "occupation" can be translated into Japanese as 職業 (shokugyō) or 仕事.

Meaning: activity or task with which one occupies oneself (noun)

Ways to say it

“occupation” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
職業	shokugyō	[ɕo̞kɯ̟ɡʲo̞ː] (narrow)
仕事	shigoto	[ɕiɡo̞to̞] (narrow)

The word refers to an activity or task with which one occupies oneself.

職業 is used for one's professional occupation or trade, whereas 仕事 refers more generally to work, a job or a specific task one is performing.

職業 is a noun that can function as a subject or object. It is most commonly seen in the polite phrase ご職業 when asking about someone's occupation.

shokugyō

In casual settings, Japanese speakers often avoid the formal word 職業 entirely and instead ask 何してるの？ which literally means 'What are you doing?'
In Japanese business culture, asking about a person's 職業 often serves as a social shorthand to determine their status and the level of politeness required in the conversation.
In Japan, when filling out forms, your 'occupation' is often categorized by a broad industry rather than a specific job title. You might write 'office worker' instead of a specific role like 'accountant'.

ご職業は何ですか。
What's your occupation?
This sentence is useful for asking about someone's occupation using 職業.
Tatoeba #217120 by bunbuku, translation #410787 by CK
何か決まった仕事につきなさい。
You must take up a regular occupation.
This sentence demonstrates using 仕事 in the context of taking up a regular occupation.
Tatoeba #187976 by small_snow, translation #25115 by carlosalberto
お仕事は何をされてるんですか？
What is your occupation?
This sentence shows how to politely ask about someone's occupation using 仕事.
Tatoeba #3700805 by tommy_san, translation #731142 by CM
彼女の職業は医者です。
Her occupation is a doctor.
彼の職業は弁護士です。
His occupation is a lawyer.
5 more sentences on Tatoeba

Yota and Himari are filling out a registration form at a community center.

陽葵 Himari

ここの職業の欄は何と書けばいい？
koko no shokugyō no ran wa nanto kakeba ii?
What should I write in this occupation column?
陽太 Yota

今の仕事をそのまま書いてください。
ima no shigoto o sonomama kaite kudasai.
Please just write your current job.
陽葵 Himari

主婦でも職業になるのかな。
shufu demo shokugyō ni naru no kana.
I wonder if being a housewife counts as an occupation.
陽太 Yota

大丈夫、そう書いていいと思いますよ。
daijōbu, sō kaite ii to omoimasu yo.
It's fine, I think you can write that.

Sources

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