Japanese word

総務

Pronunciation

Romajisōmu

Meaning

  • noungeneral affairs

Example

会社で総務を担当しています。kai sha de sō mu o tan tō shi te i ma su

I handle general affairs at the company.

Illustration for 総務 (general affairs)

More examples

来月から、総務と営業の仕事を兼任します。rai getsu ka ra sō mu to ei gyō no shi goto o ken nin shi ma su

Starting next month, I will handle both general affairs and sales.

Core concept

総務 (sōmu) brings together the behind-the-scenes tasks needed by an entire organization rather than by one specialized department.

Common phrases

  • 総務を担当するsō mu o tan tō su ru

    handle general affairs

  • 総務で働くsō mu de hatara ku

    work in general affairs

  • 総務の担当者sō mu no tan tō sha

    person in charge of general affairs

Similar words

庶務shomu: Routine office work that supports an organization across various administrative needs.

Definition in Japanese

組織全体に関わる事務や管理を受け持つ仕事や部門。so shiki zen tai ni kaka wa ru ji mu ya kan ri o u ke mo tsu shi goto ya bu mon

Word origin

総 (sō, "whole") means bringing things together, while 務 (mu, "duties") means work to be handled; together, 総務 (sōmu) denotes an organization's general administrative work.

Usage tips

  • The English phrase "general affairs" is less familiar as a job title than 総務 (sōmu), which commonly names both the function and the department handling shared office matters.

Word lists with this word