社員（しゃいん、shain）
- company employee

The Japanese word 社員 社員 generally means "company employee," "staff member," or "employee." It refers to a person who works for a company and is part of its workforce. The term implies a full-time, regular employee rather than a part-time worker or a contractor. The word conveys a sense of belonging to the company and being an integral part of its operations. The word 社員 encompasses a wide range of roles within a company, from entry-level positions to management roles.

⚫︎山田さんは株式会社の社員です。 Translation: Mr. Yamada is an employee of the company. ⚫︎新しい社員を募集しています。 Translation: We are recruiting new employees.

⚫︎社員 社員 is used in formal and informal contexts when referring to employees of a company. ⚫︎It can be used in conversations, announcements, and written documents related to employment. ⚫︎It's common to use it when talking about one's own job or the jobs of others. ⚫︎You can use this word when talking about company events and activities.

⚫︎The word 社員 is typically written using the kanji 社員. ⚫︎The hiragana reading is しゃいん. ⚫︎There are no variations in the okurigana (the suffix hiragana).

⚫︎従業員 (じゅうぎょういん) - "employee" (more general and can apply to various types of workers) ⚫︎職員 (しょくいん) - "staff member," often used for government or organizational staff ⚫︎スタッフ (sutaffu) - "staff" (borrowed word, often used in more casual contexts)

⚫︎社長 (しゃちょう) - "company president," "CEO" ⚫︎経営者 (けいえいしゃ) - "manager," "executive" ⚫︎アルバイト (arubaito) - "part-time worker" (opposite in terms of work commitment)

私はあの会社の社員として働いています。 ・Translation: I work as an employee of that company. ・Explanation: This sentence simply states that the speaker is employed by the mentioned company.

社員旅行で沖縄に行きました。 ・Translation: We went to Okinawa on a company trip. ・Explanation: This sentence describes an event that involves company employees.

The word 社員 is a compound word. It is formed from: ⚫︎社 (sha) which means "company" or "corporation." ⚫︎員 (in) which means "member" or "staff." Together, they form a word that directly means "company member" or "company staff," accurately reflecting its meaning.