Welcome to Episode 61 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

💼 "My dad is a salaryman." "...A what?" Saki's foreign friend went completely blank - because "salaryman" looks like English but nobody outside Japan actually says it. Today Haruka unpacks this classic piece of wasei-eigo (Japanese-made English). 🎯

You'll learn three words:

• サラリーマン (salaryman) - wasei-eigo for a salaried worker; in real English it's "office worker" or "businessperson"

• 会社員 (kaishain) - the natural Japanese for "company employee," gender-neutral and the word you write on forms

• 勤める (tsutomeru) - to be employed at / work for, a more polite verb than 働く

💡 Inside: why salaryman (and OL!) are made-in-Japan English, why it carries a male, suit-and-packed-train image, why 会社員 is now often preferred, and how 「どこにお勤めですか？」 is a polished way to ask what someone does.

Perfect for N3-N2 learners who want to sound natural and spot wasei-eigo traps. Tokyo & Kansai dialogue, fully shadowable. Full transcript & study notes on Patreon. 🎧

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・サラリーマン (さらりーまん) - A salaried office worker - but note this is wasei-eigo (Japanese-made English), coined from "salary" + "man." It is NOT used in natural English; say "office worker" or "businessperson" instead. It carries a somewhat male, suit-wearing, commuting image and symbolizes Japan's traditional company culture. The female counterpart 「OL」 (office lady) is likewise wasei-eigo. For a neutral, form-friendly term, use 会社員. Related words: 「ビジネスマン」 (also wasei-eigo-ish) and 「勤め人」 (tsutomenin, a salaried worker).

・会社員 (かいしゃいん) - A company employee; a person who works for a company. This is the natural, neutral Japanese word - what you write on official forms and say when asked your occupation (「会社員です」). Unlike サラリーマン, it is gender-neutral and slightly more formal. It contrasts with 「自営業」 (jieigyo, self-employed), 「フリーランス」 (freelance), and 「公務員」 (komuin, civil servant). Related words: 「社員」 (shain, staff member) and 「正社員」 (seishain, full-time employee).

・勤める (つとめる) - To be employed at / work for a company, bank, government office, etc. Equivalent to English "to work for" or "to be employed at." Used with に: 「銀行に勤める」 (work at a bank), 「会社に勤めている」 (be employed at a company). It's a little more formal/polite than 「働く」 (hataraku), and the set question 「どこにお勤めですか？」 is a refined way to ask where someone works. Don't confuse the homophones: 「務める」 (to serve a role/duty) and 「努める」 (to make an effort) - here it's 「勤める」 (to be employed). Related noun: 「勤め先」 (tsutomesaki, one's workplace).

📄 Get the Full Transcript with Furigana & Study Guide on our Patreon!シャドーイングに便利な「ふりがな付き台本」はこちら：👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/155837588⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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