会社員（かいしゃいん、kaishaいn）
- company employee

The Japanese word 会社員 かいしゃいん (kaishain) refers to a "company employee" or a "salaried worker". It's a very common term in Japan and describes a person who works for a company. This encompasses a wide range of jobs, from office workers to engineers, salespeople, and more. The term generally implies a full-time employee rather than a part-time worker or freelancer.

⚫︎私は会社員です。 Translation: I am a company employee. ⚫︎彼のお父さんは大手の会社員です。 Translation: His father is a company employee at a large company. ⚫︎あの人は有名な会社員です。 Translation: That person is a famous company employee.

You use 会社員 to describe someone's profession, specifically when they work for a company. It's often used in self-introductions, when talking about someone's job, or in general conversations about work. The term is straightforward and doesn't carry any particular nuance.

The word 会社員 is typically written with the kanji 会社 (kaisha - company) and 員 (in - member, employee). The reading is かいしゃいん in hiragana. There are no significant variations in okurigana. It is rarely written in katakana.

⚫︎サラリーマン (sararīman): This is a loanword from "salaryman" and is a very common synonym, particularly for male company employees. It often carries a slight connotation of someone who works in an office. ⚫︎社員 (shain): This is a more general term meaning "company employee" or "staff member". ⚫︎従業員 (jūgyōin): This is a broader term meaning "employee" and can apply to various types of workers.

⚫︎自営業 (jigyōō) or 自営業者 (jigyōōsha): Self-employed person/business owner. ⚫︎経営者 (keieisha): Manager/Executive. ⚫︎フリーランス (furīransu): Freelancer.

田中さんは会社員として10年間働いています。 ・Translation: Mr. Tanaka has been working as a company employee for 10 years. ・Explanation: This sentence describes Mr. Tanaka's profession and how long he's been working in it.

彼女は将来会社員になりたいと思っています。 ・Translation: She wants to become a company employee in the future. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses someone's future career goal.

The word 会社員 is a compound word. 会社 comes from Chinese characters and means "company" or "corporation". 員 also comes from Chinese and means "member" or "employee". Together, they combine to form "company employee."