Jobs Vocabulary in Traditional Chinese: 70+ Easy Job Titles with Pinyin for Beginners
職業詞彙（繁體中文）
Say what you do, ask what they do, and survive small talk without sounding like a LinkedIn post.
This list gives you Traditional Chinese job words with pinyin (tone marks), plain-English meanings, and real example sentences for every term.
Tap the speaker buttons to hear the Chinese out loud (Taiwan Mandarin). Your pronunciation will improve. Your confidence will too. Your love of “networking events”… can’t help you there.
Yak Snark
If your current job title is “I do a bit of everything,” no worries. You’ll learn how to say what you do in Chinese without sounding like “Human Spreadsheet #7.”
Quick visual job cards
醫生
doctor
她是醫生。
She is a doctor.
老師
teacher
我們的老師很親切。
Our teacher is very kind.
工程師
engineer
他是工程師。
He is an engineer.
護士
nurse
護士在照顧病人。
The nurse is taking care of patients.
廚師
chef
廚師正在做湯。
The chef is making soup.
司機
driver
司機開得很穩。
The driver drives steadily.
警察
police officer
警察在路口指揮。
The police officer is directing traffic at the intersection.
會計
accountant
會計在算帳。
The accountant is doing the accounts.
Useful work phrases you’ll use immediately
你做什麼工作？
What do you do for work?
我是工程師。
I’m an engineer.
我在找工作。
I’m looking for a job.
你們公司在招人嗎？
Is your company hiring?
我明天要去面試。
I have an interview tomorrow.
這份工作需要經驗。
This job requires experience.
我做全職。
I work full-time.
我做兼職。
I work part-time.
我今天要加班。
I have overtime today.
我的薪水是……
My salary is…
我想換工作。
I want to change jobs.
你幾點上班？
What time do you start work?
我六點下班。
I finish work at 6.
Why do so many job titles end in 師 or 員? Chinese likes neat “role endings.” Learn these and you can guess new jobs in the wild.
師 (shī) = specialist/pro (廚師, 藥師)
員 (yuán) = staff member (店員, 消防員)
經理 (jīnglǐ) = manager
助理 (zhùlǐ) = assistant
More job titles (with examples)
Office & business
| Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning (EN) | Example (ZH) | Translation (EN) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 經理 | jīnglǐ | manager | 我們的經理很忙。 | Our manager is very busy. | |
| 主管 | zhǔguǎn | supervisor | 主管要開會。 | The supervisor has a meeting. | |
| 行政助理 | xíngzhèng zhùlǐ | administrative assistant | 行政助理幫我訂機票。 | The admin assistant helped me book flights. | |
| 秘書 | mìshū | secretary | 秘書把文件印好了。 | The secretary printed the documents. | |
| 人力資源專員 | rénlì zīyuán zhuānyuán | HR specialist | 人力資源專員跟我談福利。 | The HR specialist discussed benefits with me. | |
| 業務員 | yèwùyuán | sales representative | 業務員今天拜訪客戶。 | The sales rep is visiting clients today. | |
| 客服人員 | kèfú rényuán | customer service representative | 客服人員很快回覆。 | Customer service replied quickly. | |
| 財務分析師 | cáiwù fēnxī shī | financial analyst | 財務分析師在看報表。 | The financial analyst is reviewing reports. |
Tech & design
| Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning (EN) | Example (ZH) | Translation (EN) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 軟體工程師 | ruǎntǐ gōngchéngshī | software engineer | 軟體工程師在寫程式。 | The software engineer is coding. | |
| 程式設計師 | chéngxù shèjì shī | programmer | 程式設計師修好了這個錯誤。 | The programmer fixed this bug. | |
| 資料分析師 | zīliào fēnxī shī | data analyst | 資料分析師做了一份分析。 | The data analyst made an analysis report. | |
| 資訊安全工程師 | zīxùn ānquán gōngchéngshī | cybersecurity engineer | 資訊安全工程師在檢查漏洞。 | The cybersecurity engineer is checking vulnerabilities. | |
| 系統管理員 | xìtǒng guǎnlǐyuán | system administrator | 系統管理員更新了伺服器。 | The sysadmin updated the servers. | |
| 網路工程師 | wǎnglù gōngchéngshī | network engineer | 網路工程師修好網路了。 | The network engineer fixed the network. | |
| 產品經理 | chǎnpǐn jīnglǐ | product manager | 產品經理在排優先順序。 | The product manager is prioritizing tasks. | |
| 平面設計師 | píngmiàn shèjì shī | graphic designer | 平面設計師設計新的海報。 | The graphic designer designed a new poster. |
Healthcare
| Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning (EN) | Example (ZH) | Translation (EN) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 牙醫 | yáyī | dentist | 我週五看牙醫。 | I’m seeing the dentist on Friday. | |
| 藥師 | yàoshī | pharmacist | 藥師提醒我按時吃藥。 | The pharmacist reminded me to take my medicine on time. | |
| 物理治療師 | wùlǐ zhìliáo shī | physical therapist | 物理治療師教我做伸展。 | The physical therapist taught me stretches. | |
| 營養師 | yíngyǎng shī | dietitian | 營養師建議我少喝糖飲。 | The dietitian suggested I drink fewer sugary drinks. | |
| 心理師 | xīnlǐ shī | therapist / psychologist | 心理師聽我說。 | The therapist listened to me. | |
| 獸醫 | shòuyī | veterinarian | 獸醫幫貓打疫苗。 | The vet gave the cat a vaccine. | |
| 急救員 | jíjiùyuán | paramedic | 急救員很快到現場。 | The paramedics arrived quickly. | |
| 檢驗師 | jiǎnyàn shī | lab technologist | 檢驗師在做血液檢查。 | The lab technologist is doing a blood test. |
Education & research
| Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning (EN) | Example (ZH) | Translation (EN) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 教授 | jiàoshòu | professor | 教授今天上課。 | The professor is teaching today. | |
| 幼教老師 | yòujiào lǎoshī | preschool teacher | 幼教老師帶孩子唱歌。 | The preschool teacher leads the kids in singing. | |
| 家教 | jiājiào | tutor | 家教每週來兩次。 | The tutor comes twice a week. | |
| 校長 | xiàozhǎng | principal (school) | 校長在操場講話。 | The principal is speaking on the playground. | |
| 研究員 | yánjiūyuán | researcher | 研究員正在做實驗。 | The researcher is doing an experiment. | |
| 圖書館員 | túshūguǎn yuán | librarian | 圖書館員幫我找書。 | The librarian helped me find a book. | |
| 翻譯 | fānyì | translator | 翻譯把文件翻好了。 | The translator finished translating the document. | |
| 訓練講師 | xùnliàn jiǎngshī | trainer / instructor | 訓練講師教新員工流程。 | The trainer teaches new employees the process. |
Food, shops & service
| Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning (EN) | Example (ZH) | Translation (EN) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 店員 | diànyuán | shop clerk | 店員很有禮貌。 | The clerk is very polite. | |
| 收銀員 | shōuyín yuán | cashier | 收銀員找我零錢。 | The cashier gave me change. | |
| 服務生 | fúwùshēng | waiter / waitress | 服務生送上菜單。 | The waiter brought the menu. | |
| 咖啡師 | kāfēi shī | barista | 咖啡師拉了漂亮的奶泡。 | The barista made beautiful milk foam art. | |
| 調酒師 | tiáojiǔ shī | bartender | 調酒師推薦一杯特調。 | The bartender recommended a special cocktail. | |
| 飯店櫃台 | fàndiàn guìtái | hotel front desk staff | 飯店櫃台幫我辦入住。 | The hotel front desk helped me check in. | |
| 房務員 | fángwùyuán | housekeeping staff | 房務員把房間整理乾淨。 | Housekeeping cleaned up the room. | |
| 導遊 | dǎoyóu | tour guide | 導遊介紹這座古城。 | The tour guide introduced this old city. |
Trades & construction
| Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning (EN) | Example (ZH) | Translation (EN) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 水電工 | shuǐdiàn gōng | plumber/electric technician | 水電工來修漏水。 | The plumber came to fix the leak. | |
| 電工 | diàngōng | electrician | 電工換了燈泡。 | The electrician changed the light bulb. | |
| 木工 | mùgōng | carpenter | 木工做了一張桌子。 | The carpenter made a table. | |
| 泥水匠 | níshuǐ jiàng | mason | 泥水匠在鋪磁磚。 | The mason is laying tiles. | |
| 油漆工 | yóuqī gōng | painter (house painting) | 油漆工把牆刷白。 | The painter painted the wall white. | |
| 焊工 | hàngōng | welder | 焊工在焊金屬。 | The welder is welding metal. | |
| 汽車技師 | qìchē jìshī | auto technician | 汽車技師檢查煞車。 | The auto tech checked the brakes. | |
| 建築師 | jiànzhù shī | architect | 建築師畫了新的平面圖。 | The architect drew a new floor plan. |
Media & creative
| Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning (EN) | Example (ZH) | Translation (EN) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 記者 | jìzhě | journalist | 記者在採訪市長。 | The journalist is interviewing the mayor. | |
| 編輯 | biānjí | editor | 編輯改了標題。 | The editor changed the headline. | |
| 攝影師 | shèyǐng shī | photographer | 攝影師拍婚禮。 | The photographer is shooting a wedding. | |
| 影片剪輯師 | yǐngpiàn jiǎnjí shī | video editor | 影片剪輯師熬夜剪片。 | The video editor stayed up late editing. | |
| 主持人 | zhǔchírén | host / presenter | 主持人把氣氛帶起來。 | The host got the crowd energized. | |
| 演員 | yǎnyuán | actor | 這位演員很會哭。 | This actor is really good at crying (on cue). | |
| 作家 | zuòjiā | writer / author | 作家正在寫新書。 | The author is writing a new book. | |
| 插畫家 | chāhuà jiā | illustrator | 插畫家畫了可愛的角色。 | The illustrator drew cute characters. |
Public service & transport
| Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning (EN) | Example (ZH) | Translation (EN) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 消防員 | xiāofángyuán | firefighter | 消防員出勤了。 | The firefighters were dispatched. | |
| 律師 | lǜshī | lawyer | 律師給我法律建議。 | The lawyer gave me legal advice. | |
| 法官 | fǎguān | judge | 法官宣布判決。 | The judge announced the verdict. | |
| 公務員 | gōngwùyuán | civil servant | 他是公務員。 | He is a civil servant. | |
| 社工 | shègōng | social worker | 社工關心那個家庭。 | The social worker is checking on that family. | |
| 郵差 | yóuchāi | mail carrier | 郵差送來包裹。 | The mail carrier delivered a package. | |
| 飛行員 | fēixíngyuán | pilot | 飛行員準備起飛。 | The pilot is preparing for takeoff. | |
| 空服員 | kōngfúyuán | flight attendant | 空服員發飲料。 | The flight attendant is handing out drinks. |
Variants & related workplace words
| Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning (EN) | Example (ZH) | Translation (EN) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 老闆 | lǎobǎn | boss | 老闆今天不在。 | The boss isn’t in today. | |
| 上司 | shàngsī | superior | 我跟上司談了一下。 | I talked with my supervisor. | |
| 同事 | tóngshì | coworker | 同事請我喝咖啡。 | A coworker treated me to coffee. | |
| 員工 | yuángōng | employee | 公司有一百個員工。 | The company has 100 employees. | |
| 實習生 | shíxíshēng | intern | 我們的新實習生很努力。 | Our new intern works hard. | |
| 自由工作者 | zìyóu gōngzuòzhě | freelancer | 她是自由工作者，時間很彈性。 | She’s a freelancer, so her schedule is flexible. | |
| 全職 | quánzhí | full-time | 我現在是全職。 | I’m full-time right now. | |
| 兼職 | jiānzhí | part-time | 他週末做兼職。 | He works part-time on weekends. | |
| 升職 | shēngzhí | get promoted | 她下個月會升職。 | She’ll get promoted next month. | |
| 離職 | lízhí | resign / leave a job | 他打算月底離職。 | He plans to resign at the end of the month. |
Yak Snark
If you can say your job, ask what someone does, and complain about overtime, congrats—you’re basically fluent in workplace small talk. The rest is just pretending you love “synergy.”
