Meaning and Usage
"職業" (しょくぎょう) refers to a person's occupation, profession, or business. It is a formal noun commonly used in both spoken and written Japanese to talk about what someone does for work.
Common Contexts
You will often see "職業" used when discussing jobs in a general or official sense, such as in surveys, introductions, or career-related conversations. It can refer to any kind of work, from manual labor to professional careers.
Collocations and Patterns
- 職業を持つ (しょくぎょうをもつ): to have an occupation
- 職業別 (しょくぎょうべつ): by occupation, categorized by job
- 職業訓練 (しょくぎょうくんれん): vocational training
- 職業選択 (しょくぎょうせんたく): career choice
These collocations help specify the context around jobs and careers.
Register and Nuance
"職業" is neutral to formal and appropriate in most settings except very casual conversations where simpler words like "仕事" (しごと) might be preferred. It emphasizes the role or category of work rather than the specific tasks.
Common Learner Mistake
Learners sometimes confuse "職業" with "仕事". While "仕事" refers more broadly to work or tasks someone does, "職業" specifically means the occupation or profession as a category or status. Use "職業" when talking about someone's job title or career field.