お仕事は何ですか？
oshigoto wa nan desu ka?
The Japanese phrase for "what do you do" is お仕事は何ですか？ (oshigoto wa nan desu ka?)
お仕事は何ですか？ is used to ask about someone's occupation or profession in a polite social setting.
Meaning: what do you do? (phrase)
Which one should you use?
お仕事は何をなさっていますか。 is used in formal settings or professional contexts, and 仕事【しごと】は何【なに】してるの？ is an informal phrase that specifically focuses on work.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お仕事は何ですか？ is a polite expression. The use of the お prefix before shigoto makes the question more respectful toward the listener's occupation. For very formal or professional settings, you should use お仕事は何をなさっていますか, whereas 仕事【しごと】は何【なに】してるの？ is an informal option.
How do you pronounce it?
oshigoto wa nan desu ka?
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, asking お仕事は何ですか？ is often avoided during first meetings to prevent the conversation from feeling like an interrogation or a status check.
- While 仕事 means 'work', the word is derived from 仕 meaning 'to serve' and 事 meaning 'matter' or 'thing'.
- Asking about work is often replaced by asking どこでお勤めですか？ meaning 'where are you employed?', as the company name carries more social weight than the job title.
Examples in context
- お仕事は何ですか？Oshigoto wa nan desu ka?What is your job?
- 失礼ですが、お仕事は何ですか？Shitsurei desu ga, oshigoto wa nan desu ka?Excuse me, but what do you do for a living?
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are meeting at a social gathering.
- 美咲 Misaki健太さん、お仕事は何ですか？Kenta-san, oshigoto wa nan desu ka?Kenta, what do you do?
- 健太 Kentaエンジニアとして働いています。Enjinia to shite hataraite imasu.I work as an engineer.
- 美咲 Misakiかっこいいですね！Kakkoii desu ne!That's cool!
- 健太 Kentaありがとうございます。Arigatou gozaimasu.Thank you.
