会社員
kaishain[ka̠iɕa̠ĩɴ]
The Japanese phrase for 'office worker' is 会社員 (kaishain).
会社員 is the standard way to describe someone who works for a corporation. It is used regardless of whether the person's specific job is clerical, administrative or technical.
Meaning: someone who works in an office (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 会社員 translates to 'company employee' and refers to a person's status as an employee of a company, it is also used as a general answer to the question 'What is your occupation?'
How do you pronounce it?
kaishain
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the direct translation of 'office worker', which is オフィスワーカー. Instead, use 会社員 as it is much more natural and common in Japanese.
Did you know?
- While 会社員 is the general term, a male office worker is often called a サラリーマン (salaryman). This loanword describes a specific social identity characterized by loyalty to the company and long working hours.
- In Japanese business culture, people rarely refer to themselves as 会社員 when introducing themselves to a client. Instead, they state their company name followed by the particle の (no) to show their affiliation.
- The female equivalent of サラリーマン is オフィスレディー (office lady), often shortened to OL. This term specifically implies a clerical or supportive role rather than the general status of 会社員.
Examples in context
- 彼は会社員です。He is an office worker.This sentence uses 会社員 to state someone's occupation.Tatoeba #109044 by bunbuku, translation #294646 by CK
- 私は会社員です。I am an office worker.Tatoeba #157955 by tommy_san, translation #256575 by CC
- 私の父は会社員です。My father is an office worker.Tatoeba #162847 by bunbuku, translation #251666 by CK
- 事務員の方にお願いがあります。I have a favor to ask of the office worker.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are meeting for the first time at a party.
- 結衣 Yui陽太さんは、お仕事は何をしていますか。Yōta-san wa, oshigoto wa nani o shite imasu ka.Yota, what do you do for work?
- 陽太 Yota私は普通の会社員です。Watashi wa futsū no kaishain desu.I am an ordinary office worker.
- 結衣 Yuiそうなんですね。どこで働いていますか。Sō nan desu ne. Doko de hataraite imasu ka.I see. Where do you work?
- 陽太 Yota東京のIT企業で会社員として働いています。Tōkyō no ai-tī kigyō de kaishain toshite hataraite imasu.I work as an office worker at an IT company in Tokyo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “office worker” translations and entries 会社員, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
