Talking about jobs in Chinese gets useful fast. You can say what you do, ask what other people do, and understand common job titles without your brain quietly leaving the building.

Two words matter early on: 工作 gōngzuò means work or job, while 职业 zhíyè means profession or occupation. Native speakers use both, but 工作 gōngzuò shows up more in everyday conversation.

Start With These High-Utility Job Words

Useful Work Phrases And Real-Life Sentences

Phrase	Pinyin	Meaning	Example In Chinese	Example In Pinyin	Translation
工作	gōngzuò	work; job	我的工作很忙。	Wǒ de gōngzuò hěn máng.	My job is busy.
职业	zhíyè	profession; occupation	你的职业是什么？	Nǐ de zhíyè shì shénme?	What is your profession?
公司	gōngsī	company	她在大公司上班。	Tā zài dà gōngsī shàngbān.	She works at a big company.
办公室	bàngōngshì	office	我八点到办公室。	Wǒ bā diǎn dào bàngōngshì.	I get to the office at eight.
工资	gōngzī	salary	这个月的工资到了。	Zhège yuè de gōngzī dào le.	This month’s salary arrived.
面试	miànshì	interview	我明天有面试。	Wǒ míngtiān yǒu miànshì.	I have an interview tomorrow.
简历	jiǎnlì	résumé; CV	请把简历发给我。	Qǐng bǎ jiǎnlì fā gěi wǒ.	Please send me your résumé.
全职	quánzhí	full-time	他想找全职工作。	Tā xiǎng zhǎo quánzhí gōngzuò.	He wants to find a full-time job.
兼职	jiānzhí	part-time	我周末做兼职。	Wǒ zhōumò zuò jiānzhí.	I do part-time work on weekends.
加班	jiābān	work overtime	今天晚上我要加班。	Jīntiān wǎnshang wǒ yào jiābān.	I have to work overtime tonight.
同事	tóngshì	colleague	我的同事很友好。	Wǒ de tóngshì hěn yǒuhǎo.	My colleagues are friendly.
老板	lǎobǎn	boss	老板今天不在。	Lǎobǎn jīntiān bú zài.	The boss is not here today.
客户	kèhù	client	我下午要见客户。	Wǒ xiàwǔ yào jiàn kèhù.	I need to meet a client this afternoon.
上班	shàngbān	go to work; be at work	我七点半上班。	Wǒ qī diǎn bàn shàngbān.	I start work at 7:30.

A Small Trick That Makes Job Words Easier

A lot of Chinese job titles repeat useful endings. Learn the pattern once, and suddenly your vocabulary grows without all the drama.

Pattern	Pinyin	What It Often Means	Common Examples
员	yuán	staff member; worker	服务员 fúwùyuán, 店员 diànyuán, 快递员 kuàidìyuán
师	shī	skilled professional	老师 lǎoshī, 工程师 gōngchéngshī, 厨师 chúshī
家	jiā	expert; specialist; artist	作家 zuòjiā, 科学家 kēxuéjiā

Office And Business Jobs

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example In Chinese	Example In Pinyin	Translation
经理	jīnglǐ	manager	她是销售部经理。	Tā shì xiāoshòubù jīnglǐ.	She is the sales department manager.
会计	kuàijì	accountant	我姐姐是会计。	Wǒ jiějie shì kuàijì.	My older sister is an accountant.
销售员	xiāoshòuyuán	salesperson	那个销售员很会介绍产品。	Nàge xiāoshòuyuán hěn huì jièshào chǎnpǐn.	That salesperson is good at introducing products.
程序员	chéngxùyuán	programmer	他想当程序员。	Tā xiǎng dāng chéngxùyuán.	He wants to be a programmer.
设计师	shèjìshī	designer	这位设计师很有创意。	Zhè wèi shèjìshī hěn yǒu chuàngyì.	This designer is very creative.
翻译	fānyì	translator; interpreter	她做中文翻译。	Tā zuò Zhōngwén fānyì.	She works as a Chinese translator.
记者	jìzhě	journalist; reporter	记者正在采访他。	Jìzhě zhèngzài cǎifǎng tā.	The reporter is interviewing him.
律师	lǜshī	lawyer	我朋友是律师。	Wǒ péngyou shì lǜshī.	My friend is a lawyer.
工程师	gōngchéngshī	engineer	他爸爸是工程师。	Tā bàba shì gōngchéngshī.	His dad is an engineer.

Healthcare And Education Jobs

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example In Chinese	Example In Pinyin	Translation
医生	yīshēng	doctor	我想看医生。	Wǒ xiǎng kàn yīshēng.	I want to see a doctor.
护士	hùshi	nurse	护士很耐心。	Hùshi hěn nàixīn.	The nurse is very patient.
牙医	yáyī	dentist	我明天要去看牙医。	Wǒ míngtiān yào qù kàn yáyī.	I need to see the dentist tomorrow.
药剂师	yàojìshī	pharmacist	药剂师给我说明了用法。	Yàojìshī gěi wǒ shuōmíng le yòngfǎ.	The pharmacist explained how to use it.
科学家	kēxuéjiā	scientist	他小时候想当科学家。	Tā xiǎoshíhou xiǎng dāng kēxuéjiā.	He wanted to be a scientist when he was little.
老师	lǎoshī	teacher	她是一位中文老师。	Tā shì yí wèi Zhōngwén lǎoshī.	She is a Chinese teacher.
校长	xiàozhǎng	principal	校长今天在开会。	Xiàozhǎng jīntiān zài kāihuì.	The principal is in a meeting today.
教练	jiàoliàn	coach	我的游泳教练很严格。	Wǒ de yóuyǒng jiàoliàn hěn yángé.	My swimming coach is strict.
心理医生	xīnlǐ yīshēng	psychologist; therapist	她是心理医生。	Tā shì xīnlǐ yīshēng.	She is a psychologist.

Service And Skilled Jobs

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example In Chinese	Example In Pinyin	Translation
厨师	chúshī	chef; cook	这个厨师做菜很好吃。	Zhège chúshī zuò cài hěn hǎochī.	This chef cooks very tasty food.
服务员	fúwùyuán	waiter; server	服务员马上就来。	Fúwùyuán mǎshàng jiù lái.	The server will come right away.
司机	sījī	driver	司机开车很稳。	Sījī kāichē hěn wěn.	The driver drives steadily.
理发师	lǐfàshī	hairdresser	我的理发师很懂卷发。	Wǒ de lǐfàshī hěn dǒng juǎnfà.	My hairdresser really understands curly hair.
电工	diàngōng	electrician	电工今天来修灯。	Diàngōng jīntiān lái xiū dēng.	The electrician is coming today to fix the light.
机械师	jīxièshī	mechanic	机械师正在检查车。	Jīxièshī zhèngzài jiǎnchá chē.	The mechanic is checking the car.
清洁工	qīngjiégōng	cleaner; janitor	清洁工每天很早上班。	Qīngjiégōng měitiān hěn zǎo shàngbān.	The cleaner starts work very early every day.
保安	bǎo’ān	security guard	保安在门口站着。	Bǎo’ān zài ménkǒu zhànzhe.	The security guard is standing at the entrance.
店员	diànyuán	shop assistant; store clerk	店员帮我找到了尺寸。	Diànyuán bāng wǒ zhǎodào le chǐcùn.	The store clerk helped me find the size.

Public, Travel, And Creative Jobs

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example In Chinese	Example In Pinyin	Translation
警察	jǐngchá	police officer	警察来了，大家安心了。	Jǐngchá lái le, dàjiā ānxīn le.	The police arrived, and everyone felt relieved.
消防员	xiāofángyuán	firefighter	消防员非常勇敢。	Xiāofángyuán fēicháng yǒnggǎn.	Firefighters are very brave.
农民	nóngmín	farmer	我爷爷以前是农民。	Wǒ yéye yǐqián shì nóngmín.	My grandpa used to be a farmer.
飞行员	fēixíngyuán	pilot	他哥哥是飞行员。	Tā gēge shì fēixíngyuán.	His older brother is a pilot.
空乘人员	kōngchéng rényuán	flight attendant; cabin crew	空乘人员给我们发水。	Kōngchéng rényuán gěi wǒmen fā shuǐ.	The cabin crew handed out water to us.
快递员	kuàidìyuán	delivery worker; courier	快递员刚刚打电话给我。	Kuàidìyuán gānggang dǎ diànhuà gěi wǒ.	The courier just called me.
摄影师	shèyǐngshī	photographer	婚礼摄影师已经到了。	Hūnlǐ shèyǐngshī yǐjīng dào le.	The wedding photographer has arrived.
作家	zuòjiā	writer	她想成为作家。	Tā xiǎng chéngwéi zuòjiā.	She wants to become a writer.
演员	yǎnyuán	actor; actress	那个演员很有名。	Nàge yǎnyuán hěn yǒumíng.	That actor is very famous.

Quick Reference Sentence Patterns

• 我是老师。Wǒ shì lǎoshī. I am a teacher.
• 我在医院上班。Wǒ zài yīyuàn shàngbān. I work at a hospital.
• 她在公司做会计。Tā zài gōngsī zuò kuàijì. She works as an accountant at a company.
• 你做什么工作？Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò? What job do you do?
• 他的职业是工程师。Tā de zhíyè shì gōngchéngshī. His profession is engineer.

FAQ

How Do You Ask Someone’s Job In Chinese?

The most natural beginner-friendly question is 你做什么工作？Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò? It means “What job do you do?” You can also ask 你的职业是什么？Nǐ de zhíyè shì shénme? but that sounds a bit more formal.

What Is The Difference Between 工作 And 职业?

工作 gōngzuò is the everyday word for work or job. 职业 zhíyè means profession or occupation and feels more formal. In normal conversation, 工作 gōngzuò wins a lot.

Do Chinese Job Titles Change For Men And Women?

Usually, no. 老师 lǎoshī, 医生 yīshēng, 律师 lǜshī, and many other job titles stay the same regardless of gender. Nice and efficient, which is refreshingly unchaotic.

Learn these job titles in chunks, not as one giant sad pile. Start with the roles you actually use, say them out loud with pinyin, and recycle them in short sentences until they stick.