Japanese Conversation · Level 55
75 words
Japanese word
公務員
Pronunciation
Romajikōmuin
Meaning
- nouncivil servant
Example
父は公務員です。chichi wa kō mu in de su
My father is a civil servant.
More examples
姉は市役所で公務員として働いています。ane wa shi yaku sho de kō mu in to shi te hatara i te i ma su
My older sister works as a civil servant at city hall.
Core concept
Describes a person whose work serves a national or local government rather than a private company.
Common phrases
公務員になるkō mu in ni na ru
become a civil servant
公務員として働くkō mu in to shi te hatara ku
work as a civil servant
地方公務員chi hō kō mu in
local government employee
Similar words
役人yakunin: A person who works for the government, often in an administrative role.
Definition in Japanese
国または地方公共団体の仕事に従事する職員。kuni ma ta wa chi hō kō kyō dan tai no shi goto ni jū ji su ru shoku in
Word origin
公 (kō, "public") + 務 (mu, "official work") + 員 (in, "member") forms 公務員 (kōmuin), meaning a member of public service.
Usage tips
- In everyday English, civil servant usually means a government employee who works in public administration rather than an elected politician.