副業

• Reading: ふくぎょう
• Romaji: fukugyō
• Kanji breakdown: 副 (secondary/sub) + 業 (work/business) → secondary work
• Pronunciation: /ɸu.ku.ɡʲoː/

Meaning

A side job or side hustle done in addition to one's main employment.

副業 was long taboo in Japanese corporate culture, with most companies explicitly banning employees from having second jobs. This started to change around 2018 when the government revised its model employment regulations to allow side work. The term is now extremely common as more workers seek additional income or explore passions alongside their main careers. Popular side jobs include freelance writing, programming, selling on Mercari, and content creation.

Examples

1. 最近副業でWebライターを始めたんだけど、意外と稼げる。 I recently started freelance writing as a side hustle, and it actually pays pretty well.
2. うちの会社、やっと副業OKになったよ。 My company finally started allowing side jobs.
3. 副業禁止の会社ってもう時代遅れだよね。 Companies that ban side jobs are so behind the times, right?

Usage Guide

Context: workplace, casual conversation, career discussions

Tone: practical, matter-of-fact

Do Say

• 副業で月5万くらい稼いでるよ。 (I earn about 50,000 yen a month from my side job.)
• 副業解禁されてから、何始めるか迷ってる。 (Since side jobs were allowed, I've been wondering what to start.)

Don't Say

• 副業禁止の会社で副業の話をしない (Don't talk about your side job at a company that bans them — you could get fired)

Common Mistakes

• Confusing 副業 with 複業 — 副業 means a secondary side job, while 複業 (same pronunciation) means having multiple equal careers simultaneously

Origin & History

A compound of 副 (secondary/sub) and 業 (work/business). The term itself is old, but it became a major buzzword after the Japanese government's 2018 work-style reform encouraged companies to permit side jobs.

Cultural Context

Era: 2018 buzzword with government work-style reform

Generation: All working-age adults, especially 20s-40s

Social background: Widespread across industries

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. The 2018 副業解禁 (side job liberalization) was a major cultural shift in Japanese work norms.