生業・家業|なりわいnariwai[0]heiban (flat)

Common
せいぎょうseigyou[0]heiban (flat)
Which spelling to use
生業生業 is the most common written form and the recommended choice for beginners; it is written entirely in kanji.
家業家業 is a rarely used written form, so learners will seldom need to choose it when writing this word.
Definitions
  1. nounoccupation; calling
  2. nounlivelihood
    庶民しょみんのなりわいは、米べいをつくることだった。↗
    The ordinary people had their livelihood in farming rice.
Synonyms & antonyms
  • Synonym稼業かぎょうNeutralA trade one lives by; neutral in itself but often self-deprecating or tinged with an underworld flavor, as in 「やくざ稼業」. More colloquial than 「生業」.
  • Synonym職業しょくぎょうNeutralThe standard, neutral word for an occupation; the most common choice in both formal documents and everyday speech, without the archaic flavor of 「生業」.

For a means of livelihood, 「生業」 is the literary choice, as in 「農業を生業とする」; use 「職業」 for an ordinary occupation; 「稼業」 suits a trade said with self-deprecation.

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

Japanese definitions
  1. 生活せいかつのための仕事しごと。
Kanji in this word
English equivalents

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