Workplace Japanese runs on rhythm. The day opens with おはようございます, favours begin with すみません, leaving before others requires an apology for the audacity — お先に失礼します — and everything ends with おつかれさまです. None of it is decoration: these phrases are how Japanese workplaces signal cooperation, and using them well counts for more than perfect grammar. For SSW visa holders this is also exam material — the JFT-Basic's conversation section is full of workplace exchanges, because handling instructions and requests on the job is precisely what the test certifies.
Workplace words
| Japanese | Reading | English |
|---|---|---|
| 会社 | かいしゃ | company |
| 仕事 | しごと | work, job |
| 職場 | しょくば | workplace |
| 上司 | じょうし | boss, superior |
| 同僚 | どうりょう | colleague |
| 店長 | てんちょう | store manager |
| 休憩 | きゅうけい | break |
| 残業 | ざんぎょう | overtime |
| 給料 | きゅうりょう | salary |
| 休み | やすみ | day off, holiday |
| 遅刻 | ちこく | being late |
| 会議 | かいぎ | meeting |
| 報告 | ほうこく | report (to a superior) |
| 連絡 | れんらく | contact, message |
| 相談 | そうだん | consultation, asking advice |
| 安全 | あんぜん | safety |
| 手伝う | てつだう | to help |
| 頑張る | がんばる | to do one's best |
Phrases that do the work
| Say this | Meaning |
|---|---|
| おはようございます。 おはようございます。 | Good morning — said at the start of any shift, even at 4 p.m. |
| おつかれさまです。 おつかれさまです。 | The all-purpose colleague greeting: passing in the corridor, ending calls, ending the day. |
| お先に失礼します。 おさきに しつれいします。 | Excuse me for leaving before you. (said when you leave first) |
| すみません、ちょっと いいですか。 すみません、ちょっと いいですか。 | Excuse me, do you have a moment? (the door-opener for any question) |
| もう一度 説明して いただけますか。 もういちど せつめいして いただけますか。 | Could you explain that once more? |
| これで いいですか。 これで いいですか。 | Is it OK like this? (confirm before finishing a task) |
| 終わりました。次は 何を しましょうか。 おわりました。つぎは なにを しましょうか。 | I've finished. What should I do next? |
| 体調が 悪いので、今日は 休ませて ください。 たいちょうが わるいので、きょうは やすませて ください。 | I'm not feeling well — please let me take today off. (calling in sick) |
Asking about a task
Read it aloud twice — once for meaning, once for rhythm. Then cover the English and try again.
あなたすみません、田中さん。ちょっと いいですか。Excuse me, Tanaka-san. Do you have a moment?
同僚はい、何ですか。Sure, what is it?
あなたこの 機械の 使い方が わかりません。教えて いただけますか。I don't understand how to use this machine. Could you show me?
同僚いいですよ。まず、この ボタンを 押すと、電源が 入ります。Of course. First, when you press this button, the power comes on.
あなたボタンを 押してから、これを 入れますか。After pressing the button, do I put this in?
同僚そうです。終わったら、必ず 電源を 切って くださいね。Exactly. When you're done, make sure you turn the power off.
あなたわかりました。ありがとうございます。Got it. Thank you very much.
Signs to recognise on sight
| Sign | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 立入禁止 | たちいりきんし | No entry |
| 安全第一 | あんぜんだいいち | Safety first |
| 休憩室 | きゅうけいしつ | Break room |
| 更衣室 | こういしつ | Changing room |
| 非常口 | ひじょうぐち | Emergency exit |
| 使用中 | しようちゅう | In use |
| 頭上注意 | ずじょうちゅうい | Mind your head |
| 土足禁止 | どそくきんし | No outdoor shoes |
Things nobody tells you
報告・連絡・相談 (ほうれんそう). Japanese workplaces expect three habits: report progress (報告), share information early (連絡), and consult before deciding (相談). A worker who asks questions early is trusted; one who guesses silently is not.
Never disappear when sick — call. The phrase 休ませてください with a reason, before your shift starts, is the professional standard. A no-show without contact damages trust more than any language mistake could.
おつかれさまです has no real English translation — use it anyway, constantly. To colleagues at any hour it means "I see your effort." (です to seniors; the shorter おつかれさま only with peers.)
Learn the safety kanji before day one. 立入禁止 (no entry) and 非常口 (emergency exit) are tested on the JFT and posted in every workplace in Japan. They are compressed, picture-like, and worth ten minutes of dedicated study.
Check yourself
1. You leave work while colleagues are still working. You say:
"Excuse me for going first" acknowledges the team still working — the fixed phrase for leaving. They will answer おつかれさまでした.
2. 「この ボタンを 押すと、電源が 入ります」— what does pressing the button do?
電源が 入ります = the power comes on; 〜と marks the automatic result (N5 Lesson 23). 電源を 切る is turning it off — the dialogue used both.
3. Which sign means you must NOT enter?
立入禁止 (たちいりきんし) = entry forbidden. 非常口 is the emergency exit, 休憩室 the break room, 使用中 means "in use".
Study the grammar behind this situation
- N5 Lesson 15: permission & prohibition — the てはいけません of workplace rules
- N5 Lesson 23: 〜と — machine-instruction grammar from the dialogue
- JFT-Basic roadmap — the exam that certifies workplace-ready Japanese
More situation guides
- Japanese at the Hospital and Clinic
- Japanese at the City Hall (市役所)
- Japanese at the Train Station
- Japanese for Shopping and the Konbini
- Japanese for Emergencies
Written by Rahul Kumar Singh. Published 17 July 2026. All dialogues and example sentences are original. Vocabulary readings are checked against standard dictionaries — if you spot an error, report it and I will fix it.