Jobs Kanji List with Meaning and Reading (100+ Japanese Occupation Vocabulary)
Learning Japanese job and occupation vocabulary is highly useful for daily conversations, workplace communication, and understanding Japanese media. Whether you are preparing for the JLPT, planning to work in Japan, or simply expanding your vocabulary, knowing occupation-related kanji can significantly improve your reading comprehension and speaking ability.
Many Japanese job titles use commonly repeated kanji such as 社 (company), 員 (member), 先 (previous/senior), 生 (life/teacher), and 業 (business/work). By learning these kanji in context, you can recognize patterns and understand many related words more easily.
This page provides a structured list of Japanese job kanji vocabulary complete with readings in hiragana and romaji, English meanings, and Indonesian translations. The searchable table allows you to quickly find specific occupations or kanji, while the copy feature helps you save kanji instantly for writing practice or flashcards.
Occupation vocabulary is also extremely practical because it appears frequently in introductions, forms, resumes, interviews, anime, dramas, and news articles. Even beginners can benefit from learning these words early because they are commonly used in real-life situations.
To maximize retention, try grouping similar occupations together such as office jobs, education jobs, medical professions, and service industry jobs. This helps build stronger associations and makes memorization easier.
| Kanji | Reading | English | Indonesian |
|---|---|---|---|
先生 | せんせい (sensei) | teacher | guru |
学生 | がくせい (gakusei) | student | siswa |
会社員 | かいしゃいん (kaishain) | office worker | pegawai kantor |
医者 | いしゃ (isha) | doctor | dokter |
看護師 | かんごし (kangoshi) | nurse | perawat |
警察官 | けいさつかん (keisatsukan) | police officer | polisi |
消防士 | しょうぼうし (shouboushi) | firefighter | pemadam kebakaran |
運転手 | うんてんしゅ (untenshu) | driver | sopir |
料理人 | りょうりにん (ryourinin) | chef | koki |
店員 | てんいん (tenin) | store clerk | pegawai toko |
銀行員 | ぎんこういん (ginkouin) | bank employee | pegawai bank |
弁護士 | べんごし (bengoshi) | lawyer | pengacara |
裁判官 | さいばんかん (saibankan) | judge | hakim |
記者 | きしゃ (kisha) | reporter | wartawan |
作家 | さっか (sakka) | writer | penulis |
画家 | がか (gaka) | painter | pelukis |
音楽家 | おんがくか (ongakuka) | musician | musisi |
歌手 | かしゅ (kashu) | singer | penyanyi |
俳優 | はいゆう (haiyuu) | actor | aktor |
農家 | のうか (nouka) | farmer | petani |
建築家 | けんちくか (kenchikuka) | architect | arsitek |
技術者 | ぎじゅつしゃ (gijutsusha) | engineer | insinyur |
科学者 | かがくしゃ (kagakusha) | scientist | ilmuwan |
研究者 | けんきゅうしゃ (kenkyuusha) | researcher | peneliti |
教師 | きょうし (kyoushi) | instructor | pengajar |
教授 | きょうじゅ (kyouju) | professor | profesor |
校長 | こうちょう (kouchou) | principal | kepala sekolah |
社長 | しゃちょう (shachou) | company president | direktur perusahaan |
部長 | ぶちょう (buchou) | department manager | kepala departemen |
課長 | かちょう (kachou) | section chief | kepala seksi |
秘書 | ひしょ (hisho) | secretary | sekretaris |
受付員 | うけつけいん (uketsukein) | receptionist | resepsionis |
会計士 | かいけいし (kaikeishi) | accountant | akuntan |
税理士 | ぜいりし (zeirishi) | tax accountant | konsultan pajak |
通訳者 | つうやくしゃ (tsuuyakusha) | interpreter | penerjemah lisan |
翻訳者 | ほんやくしゃ (honyakusha) | translator | penerjemah |
案内人 | あんないにん (annainin) | tour guide | pemandu wisata |
美容師 | びようし (biyoushi) | hair stylist | penata rambut |
理容師 | りようし (riyoushi) | barber | tukang cukur |
料理長 | りょうりちょう (ryourichou) | head chef | kepala koki |
配達員 | はいたついん (haitatsuin) | delivery worker | kurir |
整備士 | せいびし (seibishi) | mechanic | montir |
工員 | こういん (kouin) | factory worker | buruh pabrik |
漁師 | りょうし (ryoushi) | fisherman | nelayan |
牧場員 | ぼくじょういん (bokujouin) | farm worker | pekerja peternakan |
政治家 | せいじか (seijika) | politician | politikus |
大統領 | だいとうりょう (daitouryou) | president | presiden |
首相 | しゅしょう (shushou) | prime minister | perdana menteri |
外交官 | がいこうかん (gaikoukan) | diplomat | diplomat |
宇宙飛行士 | うちゅうひこうし (uchuuhikoushi) | astronaut | astronot |
航空士 | こうくうし (koukuushi) | pilot | pilot |
客室乗務員 | きゃくしつじょうむいん (kyakushitsu joumuin) | flight attendant | pramugari |
駅員 | えきいん (ekiin) | station staff | petugas stasiun |
船員 | せんいん (senin) | sailor | pelaut |
海員 | かいいん (kaiin) | marine worker | pekerja laut |
電気技師 | でんきぎし (denkigishi) | electrical engineer | teknisi listrik |
機械工 | きかいこう (kikaikou) | machine operator | operator mesin |
土木技師 | どぼくぎし (dobokugishi) | civil engineer | insinyur sipil |
配管工 | はいかんこう (haikankou) | plumber | tukang ledeng |
電工 | でんこう (denkou) | electrician | tukang listrik |
大工 | だいく (daiku) | carpenter | tukang kayu |
左官 | さかん (sakan) | plasterer | tukang plester |
清掃員 | せいそういん (seisouin) | cleaner | petugas kebersihan |
警備員 | けいびいん (keibiin) | security guard | satpam |
軍人 | ぐんじん (gunjin) | soldier | tentara |
自衛官 | じえいかん (jieikan) | self-defense officer | anggota militer |
漫画家 | まんがか (mangaka) | manga artist | komikus manga |
写真家 | しゃしんか (shashinka) | photographer | fotografer |
映画監督 | えいがかんとく (eiga kantoku) | film director | sutradara film |
俳優業 | はいゆうぎょう (haiyuugyou) | acting profession | profesi aktor |
声優 | せいゆう (seiyuu) | voice actor | pengisi suara |
編集者 | へんしゅうしゃ (henshuusha) | editor | editor |
出版者 | しゅっぱんしゃ (shuppansha) | publisher | penerbit |
司書 | ししょ (shisho) | librarian | pustakawan |
保育士 | ほいくし (hoikushi) | childcare worker | pengasuh anak |
介護士 | かいごし (kaigoshi) | caregiver | perawat lansia |
薬剤師 | やくざいし (yakuzaishi) | pharmacist | apoteker |
歯科医 | しかい (shikai) | dentist | dokter gigi |
獣医 | じゅうい (juui) | veterinarian | dokter hewan |
心理学者 | しんりがくしゃ (shinrigakusha) | psychologist | psikolog |
経営者 | けいえいしゃ (keieisha) | business manager | manajer bisnis |
起業家 | きぎょうか (kigyouka) | entrepreneur | wirausahawan |
営業員 | えいぎょういん (eigyouin) | salesperson | sales |
販売員 | はんばいいん (hanbaiin) | sales clerk | pegawai penjualan |
不動産業者 | ふどうさんぎょうしゃ (fudousangyousha) | real estate agent | agen properti |
投資家 | とうしか (toushika) | investor | investor |
銀行家 | ぎんこうか (ginkouka) | banker | bankir |
証券員 | しょうけんいん (shoukenin) | securities employee | pegawai sekuritas |
保険員 | ほけんいん (hokenin) | insurance agent | agen asuransi |
事務員 | じむいん (jimuin) | office clerk | staf administrasi |
人事担当者 | じんじたんとうしゃ (jinji tantousha) | HR staff | staf HRD |
広報担当者 | こうほうたんとうしゃ (kouhou tantousha) | public relations officer | staf humas |
広告業者 | こうこくぎょうしゃ (koukokugyousha) | advertising agent | agen periklanan |
市場調査員 | しじょうちょうさいん (shijou chousain) | market researcher | peneliti pasar |
情報技術者 | じょうほうぎじゅつしゃ (jouhou gijutsusha) | IT specialist | spesialis IT |
程序設計者 | プログラムせっけいしゃ (puroguramu sekkeisha) | programmer | programmer |
設計士 | せっけいし (sekkeishi) | designer | desainer |
動画編集者 | どうがへんしゅうしゃ (douga henshuusha) | video editor | editor video |
映像作家 | えいぞうさっか (eizou sakka) | video creator | kreator video |
放送員 | ほうそういん (housouin) | broadcaster | penyiar |
司会者 | しかいしゃ (shikaisha) | host / MC | pembawa acara |
漫才師 | まんざいし (manzaishi) | comedian | komedian |
舞踊家 | ぶようか (buyouka) | dancer | penari |
指揮者 | しきしゃ (shikisha) | conductor | dirigen |
作曲家 | さっきょくか (sakkyokuka) | composer | komposer |
演奏家 | えんそうか (ensouka) | performer | pemusik |
裁縫師 | さいほうし (saihoushi) | tailor | penjahit |
靴職人 | くつしょくにん (kutsu shokunin) | shoemaker | pembuat sepatu |
宝石職人 | ほうせきしょくにん (houseki shokunin) | jeweler | pembuat perhiasan |
陶芸家 | とうげいか (tougeika) | ceramic artist | seniman keramik |
How to Learn Japanese Job Kanji Faster
One of the best ways to memorize occupation-related kanji is to connect them with real people or situations. For example, when learning 医者 (doctor), imagine visiting a hospital or talking to a doctor in Japanese. Associating kanji with visual experiences improves long-term memory retention.
You should also pay attention to recurring kanji patterns. Many job titles contain common kanji like 員 (employee/member), 家 (specialist/professional), 師 (expert/master), and 官 (government officer). Once you understand these patterns, learning new job vocabulary becomes much easier.
Practicing with real-world materials such as job listings, Japanese resumes, anime dialogue, or workplace conversations can also strengthen your recognition skills.
To continue learning, explore our Food Kanji List, Basic Kanji for Beginners, and JLPT N5 Kanji List.