Glossary of Japanese hiring terms
Every Japanese workplace term that's likely to come up in your job search, translated and explained, from rirekisho to zangyou. 49 entries.
Aiseki (相席)
Sharing a table/seating with strangers, common at lunch counters and some izakaya. You'll experience this in corporate Japan during company outings.
Bonenkai (忘年会)
End-of-year company drinking party held in December, literally 'forget-the-year gathering'. Attendance is socially expected but not technically mandatory.
Burakku kigyou / Black company (ブラック企業)
Slang for an exploitative employer, long unpaid hours, harassment, no career growth. Check for it in reviews before signing.
Daikigyou (大企業)
Large established Japanese corporation, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Sony, etc. Stable employment, slow career progression, strong benefits, conservative culture.
Eigyō (営業)
Sales / business development. Different from Western sales, heavy on relationship cultivation, lower on quota-driven aggression.
Eikaiwa (英会話)
English conversation school. Largest employer of English-speaking foreigners in Japan. Pay is low (¥3-4M/yr), turnover is high.
Furigana (ふりがな)
Phonetic reading written above or beside kanji. Required on your rirekisho for your name + address.
Gaishikei (外資系)
Foreign-capital companies, Google Japan, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft. Typically higher pay, more English, more aggressive performance management.
Genka (現価)
Current salary. Recruiters will ask 現価はいくらですか, 'what's your current pay?'
Hanko / Inkan (印鑑)
Personal seal used in place of a signature on Japanese documents. Order one once you have your residence card.
Henji (返事)
A reply, specifically the formal response (yes/no) you give the company after they make an offer. Standard to ask for a week to respond.
Hojin (法人)
A legal corporate entity. Required for the Business Manager visa.
Honne / Tatemae (本音・建前)
True feelings vs. public stance. Critical for reading Japanese interviewers, what they say first is rarely what they truly mean.
HSP (高度専門職)
Highly Skilled Professional visa. Points-based; 70+ = 5-yr visa with PR in 3 yrs; 80+ = PR in 1 yr. Run the calculator at /tools/hsp-points.
Jikyū (時給)
Hourly wage. Used for part-time and contract roles.
Joushi (上司)
Direct manager / boss. Hierarchy matters in Japanese offices; never address your joushi by first name.
JLPT (日本語能力試験)
Japanese-Language Proficiency Test. Levels N5 (basic) to N1 (native-ish). N2+ unlocks most bilingual roles.
Kaisha-in (会社員)
Company employee, the default identity in Japanese society. Used on the rirekisho occupation field.
Kaizen (改善)
Continuous improvement. A core Japanese workplace value, bring evidence of kaizen mindset to engineering interviews.
Keigo (敬語)
Formal honorific Japanese. Used in business contexts. Spoken keigo is a JLPT N2+ skill; written is easier (templates exist).
Kokumin Kenko Hoken (国民健康保険)
National Health Insurance, for self-employed, students, unemployed. Most foreign workers are on 社会保険 (employer-sponsored) instead.
Koseki (戸籍)
Japanese family register. You don't have one (foreigners aren't on koseki), but your Japanese spouse does, relevant for spouse visas.
Meishi (名刺)
Business card. Receive with both hands, study briefly, place on the table in front of you. Never write on it or stuff it in a pocket.
Naitei (内定)
Informal offer / 'we want to hire you'. Comes before the formal employment contract. Acceptance (内定承諾) is somewhat binding socially but not legally.
Nemawashi (根回し)
Building consensus informally before formal meetings. A core skill for senior IC and PM roles in Japan.
Nenshu (年収)
Annual income. Almost always means base + bonus. Always confirm whether bonus is included when receiving offers.
Nōkai (能力)
Ability / competency. Used in performance reviews.
Ojigi (お辞儀)
Bowing. 15° for casual workplace greetings, 30° for formal meetings, 45° for apologies or addressing executives.
OL (オーエル)
'Office Lady', slightly dated term for female office workers. You'll still see it in some job listings.
Onsha (御社)
Polite way to say 'your (esteemed) company' in spoken Japanese, especially during interviews. Written equivalent: 貴社 (kisha).
Permanent Residence / PR (永住権)
Unrestricted right to live and work in Japan. Standard path: 10 years. HSP fast-track: 3 yrs (70+ pts) or 1 yr (80+ pts).
Rirekisho (履歴書)
Standardized Japanese resume, personal info, education, work history, certs, motivation. Build one at /resume.
Sanitary (三日坊主)
Literally 'three-day monk', someone who gives up quickly. Recruiters look for evidence you'll stay.
Sashizu (指図)
Direct instruction. Japanese managers often avoid giving sashizu, preferring suggestion. Read context, not just words.
Senpai / Kohai (先輩・後輩)
Senior/junior relationship by tenure. Affects who pays at drinks, who speaks first in meetings, who introduces whom.
Shachō (社長)
Company president / CEO. Address as '社長' or '[surname]社長'.
Shakai Hoken (社会保険)
Employer-sponsored social insurance: health + pension + employment insurance. ~14.7% of gross deducted from your paycheck.
Shōkai (紹介)
Referral / introduction. A 紹介 from an existing employee often skips initial screening.
Shokumu keirekisho (職務経歴書)
Career-history document, Japan's equivalent of a Western CV. More flexible than rirekisho. Build one at /resume/shokumu.
Sōkatsu (総括)
Summary / wrap-up. End-of-project retrospectives are usually called 総括 in Japanese workplaces.
Sponsorship (スポンサーシップ)
Employer-arranged visa application. Most foreign workers need it. Filter the job board for /jobs?visa_sponsorship_mentioned=1.
Tax shōmei (納税証明)
Tax payment certificate from the ward office. Often required for visa renewals and apartment applications.
Tedori (手取り)
Take-home pay, gross minus social insurance, income tax, residence tax. Use /tools/take-home-pay to estimate.
Vacation (有給休暇 / yūkyū kyūka)
Paid vacation. 10 days minimum after 6 months of employment; rises with tenure. Use of yūkyū is socially discouraged at conservative Japanese companies.
Wago / Jōgo (和語・上語)
Native Japanese vocabulary (wago) vs. Sino-Japanese (kango). Business Japanese leans kango. Use 'gokijou (御希望)' not 'nozomi (望み)' in formal emails.
Yakuin (役員)
Executive officer. Director-level and above. Different employment contract from regular employees (kaisha-in).
Yen / ¥ (円)
Japanese currency. Job offers are usually denominated in 万円 (man-yen), 1 man = ¥10,000. '600 man' = ¥6,000,000/yr.
Zairyū Card (在留カード)
Residence card. Issued at the airport on arrival. Must be carried at all times. Renew with your visa.
Zangyou (残業)
Overtime. Legally capped at 45 hr/month, 360 hr/year in most industries. Service zangyou (unpaid overtime) is a major red flag, see /resources/red-flags.