Japanese word

自営業

Pronunciation

Romajijieigyō

Meaning

  • nounself-employment

Example

自営業は大変です。ji ei gyō wa tai hen de su

Self-employment is hard.

Illustration for 自営業 (self-employment)

More examples

将来は自営業を始めたいです。shō rai wa ji ei gyō o haji me ta i de su

I want to start my own business in the future.

Core concept

Describes earning a living through work or a business that one operates independently rather than through an employer.

Common phrases

  • 自営業を始めるji ei gyō o haji me ru

    start a business

  • 自営業を営むji ei gyō o itona mu

    run a business

  • 自営業の収入ji ei gyō no shū nyū

    self-employment income

Similar words

個人事業kojinjigyō: A business operated by an individual rather than by a corporation.
フリーランスfurīransu: Independent work provided to clients, often under separate contracts.

Definition in Japanese

他人に雇用されず、自分で事業や仕事を営んで収入を得ること。ta nin ni ko yō sa re zu ji bun de ji gyō ya shi goto o itona n de shū nyū o e ru ko to

Word origin

As a Sino-Japanese compound, 自 (ji, "self") + 営 (ei, "manage") + 業 (gyō, "work or business") form 自営業 (jieigyō), meaning work or business managed by oneself.

Usage tips

  • In English, self-employment commonly includes freelancers and independent contractors, so it does not necessarily mean running a store or company.

Other meanings

  • own businessnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 自営業者jieigyōshaself-employed personnoun
  • 自営業主jieigyōshubusiness ownernoun

Word lists with this word