Translation guide
The English word "occupation" can refer to a person's job or profession, the act of occupying a place, or a pastime. This guide focuses on the most common meaning for learners: talking about one's job or profession.
Talking about what someone does for a living, their career, or their field of work.
What is your occupation? · His occupation is listed as 'engineer'. · Please state your name and occupation.
The most direct and neutral translation for 'occupation'. Used in formal contexts, forms, and general conversation.
あなたの職業は何ですか。
What is your occupation?
職業欄に「会社員」と書いてください。
Please write 'company employee' in the occupation field.
Commonly used for 'job' or 'work'. More casual than 職業 and often used in everyday conversation.
お仕事は何をされていますか。
What kind of work do you do? (polite)
仕事は教師です。
My occupation is a teacher. (lit. As for work, I'm a teacher.)
A natural, indirect way to ask about someone's occupation: 'What kind of thing do you do?'
A: ご職業は？ B: 教師です。
A: Your occupation? B: I'm a teacher.
A more formal or literary term for occupation, often used in compounds or official documents.
彼は職を探している。
He is looking for employment.
Referring to the military or physical control of a territory, building, or space.
The occupation of the city lasted two years. · Protesters staged an occupation of the building.
Used for military occupation or taking control of an area by force.
その国は敵軍に占領された。
The country was occupied by enemy forces.
Legal or formal term for possession or occupancy of property.
Often used for occupying a building or space as a protest or demonstration.
An activity that someone spends time doing for pleasure. This meaning is less common in modern English and often replaced by 'pastime' or 'hobby'.
Her favorite occupation is reading.
Means 'hobby' or 'pastime'. Use this when 'occupation' is used in the sense of a leisure activity.
This usage of 'occupation' is old-fashioned. In most cases, 'hobby' or 'pastime' is a better English word.
彼の趣味は切手収集です。
His occupation (hobby) is stamp collecting.
職業 (しょくぎょう) is more formal and often used on documents or in official contexts. 仕事 (しごと) is the everyday word for 'job' or 'work'. When asking someone what they do, お仕事は何ですか is natural and polite, while ご職業は何ですか sounds more formal or stiff.
The English word 'occupation' has two distinct meanings. When referring to military control, use 占領 (せんりょう) or 占拠 (せんきょ). Using 職業 in this context would be confusing.
その土地は彼が占有している。
He is in occupation of the land.
The students occupied the university building.