公務員|こうむいんkoumuin[3]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. nounpublic employee; government employee; public-sector worker; public servant; civil servant
   彼かれは２０年ねん前まえ、大学だいがくを卒業そつぎょうするとすぐに公務員こうむいんになった。↗

   He entered civil service 20 years ago right after college.

• Synonym官吏かんりFormalFormal. A general term for officials and 「役人」, also for officials under the Meiji constitution; nowadays 「公務員」 is the usual word.
• Synonym吏員りいんWrittenWritten/formal prose. A legal term for local-government employees, seen in designations such as 「消防吏員」 and 「徴税吏員」.
• Antonym民間人みんかんじんNeutralNeutral. The counterpart of 「公務員」: an ordinary person who does not belong to any public institution.

Default to 「公務員」. Use 「吏員」 in legal designations for local-government staff, 「官吏」 for officials in general or historical officials, and 「民間人」 for people outside the public sector.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 国くにや地方公共団体ちほうこうきょうだんたいの公務こうむを担当たんとうし国民こくみんに奉仕ほうしする者もの。