Talk About Your Work: Japanese People Overwork and Hide Their True Feelings (Honne)?

Описание: 🎧 EFP-JP03: Talk About Your Work in Japanese: Japanese Overwork and Hiding Their True Feelings?

Welcome to Episode 3 of the Everyday Fluent Podcast – Japanese Bootcamp!

After learning how to introduce yourself and say where you’re from, today we’re tackling another essential question you’ll always hear in Japan:
👉 おしごとはなんですか？ (Oshigoto wa nan desu ka?) – “What do you do?”

In this episode, you’ll practice:

The Core Question & Answer:
お仕事は何ですか？ — What do you do? (polite)
～で 働いています — I work at ～
～です — I am a ～ (job title)

Examples:

デザインの会社で 働いています。グラフィックデザイナーです。
Dezain no kaisha de hataraite imasu. Gurafikkudezainā desu
“I work at a design company. I’m a graphic designer.”

病院で 働いています。看護師です。
Byōin de hataraki shite imasu. Kankoshi desu
“I work at a hospital. I’m a nurse.”

銀行で 働いています。銀行員です。
Ginkō de hataraite imasu. Ginkōin desu
“I work at a bank. I’m a banker.”

Useful Vocabulary:
会社 (kaisha) – company
びょういん (byouin) – hospital
ぎんこう (ginkou) – bank
かんごし (kangoshi) – nurse
プログラマー (puroguramaa) – programmer

🟡 い-Adjectives（い形容詞）
忙しい（いそがしい・isogashii）– busy
面白い（おもしろい・omoshiroi）– interesting
楽しい（たのしい・tanoshii）– fun
難しい（むずかしい・muzukashii）– difficult

🟢 な-Adjectives（な形容詞）
静か（しずか・shizuka）– quiet
元気（げんき・genki）– healthy, energetic
大変（たいへん・taihen）– tough, hard

⚙️ Expression / Verb Phrase
やりがいがあります（yarigai ga arimasu）– rewarding, worth doing

Culture Deep Dive:
Inemuri (居眠り): “Sleeping while being present” — a symbol of dedication in the old work era.
Tatemae & Honne: How Japanese people balance politeness and honesty.
Nomikai (飲み会): Why after-work drinks reveal true connections.
The New Shift: From lifetime loyalty and overwork to balance, purpose, and mental well-being.


You'll shadow real conversations (so you’re speaking, not just memorizing).
And see how language reflects Japan’s deeper cultural shifts.

Episode Highlights:
0:00 – Inemuri: Sleeping at Work?
2:17 – Dialogue: Talking About Jobs in Japanese
2:32 – Grammar & Language Breakdown
8:38 – Culture Deep Dive: Tatemae & Honne: The Mask People Wear at Work
11:52 – Nomikai: Real Feelings After Work
13:05 – The New Work Shift in Japan
14:05 – Adjectives to Describe Work
17:18 – Lesson Review & Wrap-Up

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