The Meaning of jishoku [辞職] In Japanese

辞職
じしょく
Romaji: jishoku N2

What does 辞職 mean?

Translation and Meaning

resignation, to resign from a post

Definition

辞職 means resigning from a job or official post; the act of voluntarily giving up one’s position, typically in a formal context.

Type

Noun; suru-verb (辞職する)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • primary sense: the act of giving up a job or office
  • nuance: formal, often used in corporate, government, or academic contexts
  • not the same as retirement or dismissal; distinct from 辞任 and 退職 in certain contexts

Etymology

辞 conveys decline or refusal and appears in compounds about speaking; 職 denotes a post or job; the compound 辞職 is pronounced jishoku, signifying leaving a post by one’s own choice.

Composition

  • 辞: decline, refuse; speech-related component common in words about saying or renouncing
  • 職: post, job, position; conveys occupation or official duty

Usage

ビジネスや公的機関の場面で自発的に職を離れる意味を表す正式語。辞職する、辞職願を提出する、辞職届を出すなどの表現がよく使われる。
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: 辞 means to say or refuse; pair with 職 meaning a post to remember that 辞職 is literally ‘to say no to a post’—a mental image helps recall the meaning when reading formal resignation notes.

Variations

  • 辞任 (じにん) — to resign from a post; jin nin
  • 退職 (たいしょく) — to leave a job, retirement; taishoku
  • 辞退 (じたい) — to decline or refuse; jitai

Example Phrases

  • 来月 辞職することを 伝え、 上司と 引き継ぎ の 計画を 立てた。
    Raigetsu jishoku suru koto o tsutae, joshi to hikitsugi no keikaku o tateta.
    I told my boss I would resign next month and drew up a handover plan.
    Lista:
    • 来月 (raigetsu) – next month
    • 辞職することを (jishoku suru koto o) – to resign (nominalized)
    • 伝え、 (tsutae,) – told
    • 上司と (joshi to) – with the boss
    • 引き継ぎ (hikitsugi) – handover
    • の (no) – of
    • 計画を (keikaku o) – plan (object marker)
    • 立てた。 (tateta.) – set up
    Nominalizes the act with こと; here 「辞職」 is the noun used in 辞職する to refer to resigning, and ことを伝える marks informing about that intention.
辞職