総務

• Reading: そうむ
• Romaji: soumu
• Kanji breakdown: 総 (sou) — general, overall, all; 務 (mu) — duties, affairs, tasks
• Pronunciation: /soː.mɯ/

Meaning

General affairs; general administration. The department or function handling a company's broad administrative tasks.

The corporate department responsible for a wide range of administrative functions not handled by specialised departments — facilities management, document filing, meeting coordination, compliance, and sometimes HR support. 総務部 is the General Affairs Department. 総務省 (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) is the government ministry, giving this term both corporate and governmental scope.

Examples

1. 入社手続きに関するお問い合わせは総務部にご連絡ください。 For enquiries regarding onboarding procedures, please contact the General Affairs Department.
2. 総務担当者が社内規程の改訂作業を進めている。 The general affairs officer is progressing with the revision of internal company regulations.
3. 社内行事の企画から備品管理まで、総務の仕事は幅広い。 General affairs work covers a wide range, from planning in-house events to managing office supplies.

Usage Guide

Context: corporate structure, administration, HR, office management

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 総 (sou, general/overall/all-encompassing) and 務 (mu, duties/tasks/affairs). Together: 'all-encompassing duties' — the catch-all administrative function that keeps an organisation running smoothly when no other department is clearly responsible.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Business professionals

Social background: Corporate