People, Family, and Occupations Vocabulary Explained in Easy Japanese (N5) Podcast Companion
Listen to the podcast first. You can listen to this episode here:
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In this lesson, we study 69 basic Japanese words about people, family, and occupations. These words are very common in daily life and are important for beginners.
Learning vocabulary in groups is helpful. Words with similar meanings are easier to remember. In this lesson, we focus on words about people, family, and jobs. These words often appear in beginner textbooks and daily conversation.
Below is the vocabulary list used in this podcast episode. The words are listed in the same order as the audio, so you can read while listening.
People and Family Vocabulary
私（わたし） — I
あの人（あのひと）— that person (casual)
あの方（あのかた）— that person (polite)
誰（だれ）— who
どなた — who (polite)
人（ひと）— person
みんな — everyone (casual)
皆さん（みなさん）— everyone (polite)
彼女（かのじょ）— she / girlfriend
彼（かれ）— he / boyfriend
友達（ともだち）— friend
友人（ゆうじん）— friend (formal)
子供（こども）— child
娘（むすめ）— daughter
娘さん — someone else’s daughter
息子（むすこ）— son
息子さん — someone else’s son
母（はは）— my mother
お母さん（おかあさん）— mother (polite)
父（ちち）— my father
お父さん（おとうさん）— father (polite)
両親（りょうしん）— parents
ご両親（ごりょうしん）— someone else’s parents
姉（あね）— my older sister
お姉さん（おねえさん）— someone else’s older sister
兄（あに）— my older brother
お兄さん（おにいさん）— someone else’s older brother
妹（いもうと）— my younger sister
妹さん（いもうとさん）— someone else’s younger sister
弟（おとうと）— my younger brother
弟さん（おとうとさん）— someone else’s younger brother
妻（つま）— my wife
奥さん（おくさん）— someone else’s wife
夫（おっと）— my husband
旦那（だんな）— husband (casual)
旦那さん（だんなさん）— husband (polite)
主人（しゅじん）— my husband
ご主人（ごしゅじん）— someone else’s husband
おばあさん — grandmother / elderly woman
おばあちゃん — grandma (casual)
おじいさん — grandfather / elderly man
おじいちゃん — grandpa (casual)
In Japanese, people often use different words when talking about their own family and someone else’s family. Words with お or ご are usually more polite.
Students and School
学生（がくせい）— student
小学生（しょうがくせい）— elementary school student
中学生（ちゅうがくせい）— junior high school student
高校生（こうこうせい）— high school student
大学生（だいがくせい）— university student
大学院生（だいがくいんせい）— graduate student
留学生（りゅうがくせい）— international student
卒業生（そつぎょうせい）— graduate
Company and Work Vocabulary
先生（せんせい）— teacher
社員（しゃいん）— employee
スタッフ — staff
正社員 — full-time employee
契約社員 — contract employee
派遣社員 — dispatched employee
パート — part-time worker
アルバイト — part-time job (often used for student jobs)
会社員（かいしゃいん）— company employee
社員（しゃいん）— employee
課長（かちょう）— section manager
部長（ぶちょう）— department manager
社長（しゃちょう）— company president / CEO
Other Occupations
医者（いしゃ）— doctor
看護師（かんごし）— nurse
介護士（かいごし）— caregiver for elderly people
銀行員（ぎんこういん）— bank employee
運転手（うんてんしゅ）— driver
警察官（けいさつかん）— police officer
研究者（けんきゅうしゃ）— researcher
Study Tip
Try listening to the podcast while reading this list. Repeat each word after the audio. The speaker in the podcast repeats each word three times so that you can practice pronunciation.
Listening and repeating is one of the best ways to build vocabulary and improve your Japanese speaking skills.
Private Japanese Lessons
If you want to study Japanese more seriously, I also offer private online Japanese lessons.
In the lessons, you can:
・practice conversation
・improve pronunciation
・ask questions about grammar and vocabulary
・learn natural Japanese used by native speakers
Lessons are one-on-one and customized for your level and goals.
If you are interested, please check the link below.
[Private lesson link]
