お局
의미: A senior female employee who acts bossy or bullies younger colleagues, especially other women.
お局 refers to a woman who has been at a company for a long time and wields informal power to intimidate newer employees. The stereotype includes being critical of younger women's clothing, relationships, or work habits, and creating a hostile work environment through passive-aggressive behavior. While the term highlights a real workplace dynamic, it's considered sexist by many as it specifically targets women and ignores similar behavior by men.
예문
- うちの部署のお局がめっちゃ怖くて毎日憂鬱。 我们部门的老大姐太可怕了,每天都很郁闷。La お局 de mi departamento da mucho miedo y cada día es deprimente.우리 부서의 오쓰보네가 너무 무서워서 매일 우울해.
- 新人がお局に目をつけられて、もう泣きそうになってた。 新人被老大姐盯上了,都快哭了。La nueva ha caído en el punto de mira de la お局 y estaba a punto de llorar.신입이 오쓰보네한테 찍혀서 이미 울기 직전이었어.
- お局に気に入られるかどうかで職場の居心地が全然違う。 能不能得到老大姐的欢心,直接决定了你在办公室的舒适度。Que la お局 te acepte o no cambia completamente tu comodidad en la oficina.오쓰보네한테 잘 보이느냐 아니냐에 따라 직장 분위기가 완전히 달라.
발음
/o.tsɯ.bo.ne/
사용 가이드
맥락: friends, workplace gossip, social media
어조: gossipy, complaining
✓ 올바른 표현
- お局がいない日は職場の空気が全然違う。 (The office atmosphere is completely different when the お局 isn't there.)老大姐不在的日子,办公室的气氛完全不一样。(那个老大姐不在的时候,办公室氛围完全不同。)Los días que la お局 no está, el ambiente de la oficina cambia por completo.오쓰보네가 없는 날은 직장 분위기가 완전 다르다니까. (그 고참 여직원이 없는 날은 사무실 분위기가 완전히 달라.)
- どこの会社にもお局っているよね。 (Every company has that one bossy senior woman, right?)哪个公司都有那种爱摆架子的资深女员工吧。(每个公司都有那种爱摆架子的老大姐吧。)En todas las empresas hay una veterana mandona, ¿verdad?어느 회사에나 오쓰보네는 있지 않아? (어디나 그런 잔소리 심한 고참 여직원은 있잖아?)
✗ 잘못된 표현
- 本人の前で「お局」は絶対NG (Never call someone お局 to their face — it's extremely insulting)当面叫人家'老大姐'绝对不行(当面这么叫极其侮辱人)Llamar a alguien お局 a la cara es absolutamente inaceptable: es muy ofensivo.본인 앞에서 '오쓰보네'는 절대 금지 (누군가를 면전에서 오쓰보네라고 부르는 것은 극도로 모욕적이다)
- 男性の上司にはお局と言わない (The term isn't used for male bosses who bully — it's specifically gendered)男上司霸凌下属不会被叫お局(这个词不用于形容同样行为的男性上司——它是有性别指向的)El término no se usa para jefes hombres que intimidan: es específicamente de género.남성 상사에게는 오쓰보네라고 하지 않는다 (괴롭히는 남성 상사에게는 이 용어를 쓰지 않는다 — 여성에게만 한정된 표현이다)
흔한 실수
- Using お局 for any senior woman — it specifically implies someone who bullies or intimidates, not just someone who's been there long
- Not recognizing the term's sexist implications — it's increasingly criticized for unfairly targeting women
기원과 역사
From 御局 (otsubone), a title for senior ladies-in-waiting in the Edo-period imperial court or shogun's household. Applied to modern workplaces to describe veteran female employees who dominate their department. The drama 大奥 (Ōoku) reinforced the image.
문화적 배경
Era: Edo-period origin, modern workplace usage from 1990s onward
Generation: All working-age adults
Social background: Office workers
Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Increasingly seen as problematic and sexist, though still widely used in casual conversation.
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