The Meaning of dōryō [同僚] In Japanese

同僚
どうりょう
Romaji: dōryō N4

What does 同僚 mean?

Translation and Meaning

colleague, coworker

Definition

同僚 (dōryō) means a person who works at the same company or workplace—a coworker or colleague. It refers to someone who shares a professional environment with you, typically within the same organization, regardless of department or seniority, and is used in everyday business conversation and introductions.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • primary meaning: a person who works at the same company or organization.
  • scope: can refer to coworkers within the same department or across the organization, including new hires or long‑standing staff.
  • boundaries: not typically used for close friends outside work or for people from different companies.

Composition

  • 同 = same
  • 僚 = fellow, colleague
  • Combination: together they form the concept of someone who shares the same workplace or organizational circle

Usage

Used to describe someone who shares the same workplace; suitable for formal documents, emails, meetings, and introductions; used with colleagues across departments or roles, with tone ranging from neutral to polite.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: visualize two coworkers sharing the same desk, illustrating 同 (same) and 僚 (fellow) and linking it to dōryō as a reminder of ‘same workplace’.

Variations

  • 同僚 (dōryō) — coworker, main term
  • 職場の仲間 (しょくばのなかま, shokuba no nakama) — workplace companion
  • 同期 (dōki) — peers hired at the same time
  • 上司 (じょうし, jōshi) — superior; antonym in workplace hierarchy

Example Phrases

  • 昼休み、同僚と雑談をしつつコーヒーを飲んだ。
    Hiru yasumi, dōryō to zatsudan o shitsutsu kouhii o nonda.
    During lunch break, I chatted with a coworker while drinking coffee.
    Lista:
    • 昼休み (hiruyasumi) – during lunch break
    • 同僚と (dōryō to) – with a coworker
    • 雑談をしつつ (zatsudan o shitsutsu) – while having a casual chat
    • コーヒーを (kouhii o) – coffee
    • 飲んだ (nonda) – drank
    The word is 「雑談」, meaning casual talk; here 雑談をしつつ means ‘while having a casual chat’.
  • 風邪をひいた同僚に、お大事にと声をかけた。
    Kaze o hiita douryou ni, odaiji ni to koe o kaketa.
    To a coworker who caught a cold, I told them to take care.
    Lista:
    • 風邪をひいた同僚に (kaze o hiita douryou ni) – to a coworker who caught a cold
    • お大事に (odaiji ni) – take care
    • と (to) – and/quote marker
    • 声を (koe o) – voice / object marker
    • かけた (kaketa) – said / spoke to
    「お大事に」 is a conventional phrase used to wish someone who is ill to take care; in this sentence it is the quoted thing you say, connected by と to 声をかけた.
  • 仕事中に 同僚が 邪魔をして 本当に 集中できない
    shigoto-chū ni dōryō ga jama o shite hontō ni shūchū dekinai
    During work, a coworker gets in the way and I really can’t concentrate.
    Lista:
    • 仕事中に (shigoto-chū ni) – during work
    • 同僚が (dōryō ga) – a coworker
    • 邪魔をして (jama o shite) – getting in the way
    • 本当に (hontō ni) – really
    • 集中できない (shūchū dekinai) – can’t concentrate
    「邪魔」 here functions as a noun meaning hindrance and with をする becomes ‘to get in the way’.
  • 今日は土木現場で同僚と昼休みを取った。
    Kyou wa doboku genba de douryou to hiruyasumi o totta.
    Today I took a lunch break with a colleague at a civil engineering site.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today
    • 土木現場で (doboku genba de) – at a civil engineering site
    • 同僚と (douryou to) – with a colleague
    • 昼休みを (hiruyasumi o) – a lunch break
    • 取った (totta) – took
    In this sentence, 「土木」 acts as a noun modifier to 現場 to form 土木現場, meaning a civil engineering site; the で marks the location.
  • 先先月、同僚と新しいカフェでランチに行きました。
    sensengetsu, douryou to atarashii kafe de ranchi ni ikimashita.
    Two months ago, I went to lunch at a new cafe with a colleague.
    Lista:
    • 先先月 (sensengetsu) – the month before last
    • 同僚と (douryou to) – with a colleague
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • カフェで (kafe de) – at a cafe
    • ランチに (ranchi ni) – for lunch
    • 行きました (ikimashita) – went
    Tempo: 「先先月」 significa o mês anterior ao último (dois meses atrás).
同僚