New here? This is lesson 72 of a free 240-lesson Japanese course.
What do you do in Japanese
Leo drops into Kissa Hotaru on a lunch break from the Ueno office. Goro looks up from an unfinished blend coffee and asks what Leo does for work.
Leo says he works in Ueno, then names game work. Goro only hears games and orders more toast, as if that were the next step.
You will ask what someone does, say where you work, and say you are on a break.
Keep it polite. Hours and schedules come in the next lesson.
By the end of this lesson
Say your job and ask about someone else's.
- お仕事は何ですか。What do you do for work?
- ___で働いています。I work at ___.
- ___の仕事をしています。I do ___ work.
- 仕事を探しています。I'm looking for a job.
- フルタイムで働いています。I work full-time.
- 今は休憩中です。I'm on a break right now.
Scene — lunch in the booth
It is midday in Yanaka. Leo pushes open the door of Kissa Hotaru still wearing his navy jacket from the Ueno office. Masako wipes the wooden counter.
Goro fills two red booth seats. His blend coffee sits untouched, and a half-eaten slice of buttered toast waits on the plate.
Learn — ask about work
These six lines ask what someone does, name a workplace or a kind of work, and say you are on a break.
One line is for when you are still looking.
お仕事は何ですか。
What do you do for work?
When to use it: Ask this when you want someone's job.
は marks work as the topic of your question.
___で働いています。
I work at ___.
When to use it: Name the place or company where you work.
で marks the place where you work.
___の仕事をしています。
I do ___ work.
When to use it: Name the kind of work you do, not the place.
の links a kind of work to 仕事.
仕事を探しています。
I'm looking for a job.
When to use it: Use this when you do not have work yet.
を marks 仕事 as what you are looking for.
フルタイムで働いています。
I work full-time.
When to use it: Use this to say your job is full-time.
で here marks the way you work, not a place.
今は休憩中です。
I'm on a break right now.
When to use it: Use this when you have stopped work for a short time.
は marks 今 as the time you mean.
Say it: Give the long う in きゅう and ちゅう two beats.
Story — games and toast
Goro asks what Leo does before the coffee cools. The word for games derails the toast order.
Highlighted phrases are the new lines. Turn on Show English if you want a gloss.
- Midday light on the red seats. Leo sits down across from Goro.
Leoこんにちは。Hello.
Goroお仕事は何ですか。What do you do for work?- Leo hangs the grey bag on the seat hook.
- Leo上野で働いています。I work in Ueno.
- Goro上野ですか。Ueno?
- Leoはい。ゲームの仕事をしています。Yes. I do game work.
- Goro's ears lift. He looks at the counter, not at Leo.
- Goroええと、バタートーストをください。Um, buttered toast, please.
Masakoまだありますよ、ゴローさん。レオさん、今日は仕事ですか。There's still some left, Goro. Leo, is it a workday for you?- Leo今は休憩中です。I'm on a break right now.
- Goroアルバイトですか。Is it part-time?
- Leoいいえ、フルタイムで働いています。No, I work full-time.
- Someone waits at the counter with a cloth bag.
- Strangerすみません、仕事を探しています。Excuse me, I'm looking for a job.
- Masako今は募集していないです。We're not hiring right now.
Practice — pick the right job line
Eleven short tasks wait in this round. You will listen, fill a particle, build a line, and catch a mistake.
Each one is small, so you move on quickly.
0 of 11 done
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
What do you say?
What do you say?
Greet Masako as you enter Kissa Hotaru.
Pick the reply
Goro says:
Pick the reply
お仕事は何ですか。
What do you do for work?
And you reply with:
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
I work full-time.
フルタイム____働いています。
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
今は休憩中です。
Build the line
Build the line
I'm looking for a job.
。
Tap the words in order.
Match the pairs
Japanese
お仕事は何ですか。Drop the English here仕事を探しています。Drop the English hereフルタイムで働いています。Drop the English hereEnglish
Swap the word
Swap the word
You work full-time, not part-time. Fix the first word.
____で働いています。
Find the mistake
Find the mistake
Which one doesn’t belong?
Which one doesn’t belong?
What do you say?
What do you say?
Goro wants the place you work, not the kind. You work in Ueno.
Say it — your turn to speak
You are Leo on a lunch break at the kissa. When the cue is yours, tap the microphone and say the line.
Tap play first if you want to hear it. The recording stays on this device.
- Masakoレオさん、今日は仕事ですか。Leo, is it a workday for you?
- Leo (you)Tell her you are on a break right now.
Tell her you are on a break right now.
今は休憩中です。
I'm on a break right now.
0 of 5 said
Recap — what you can say now
| Japanese | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| お仕事は何ですか。 | What do you do for work? | |
| ___で働いています。 | I work at ___. | |
| ___の仕事をしています。 | I do ___ work. | |
| 仕事を探しています。 | I'm looking for a job. | |
| フルタイムで働いています。 | I work full-time. | |
| 今は休憩中です。 | I'm on a break right now. |
Save your progress — it’s free
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards
Keep these job lines in your pocket. Open the Yak Cards for this lesson and run them on the train.
A short Yak Cards round after lunch keeps the job lines ready.
Open Yak Cards