LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N4Lesson notes · Oct 4, 2026

Side job in Japanese: 副業ふくぎょう (ふくぎょう), バイト, 本業ほんぎょう, and 掛かけ持もち

"Side job" in Japanese is 副業ふくぎょう (ふくぎょう): 副業ふくぎょうをしています means "I have a side job". Your main job is 本業ほんぎょう (ほんぎょう). A student's part-time job is アルバイト, usually shortened to バイト, and that is a different word with a different feel.

Side jobs have become a normal topic in Japan. People talk about 副業ふくぎょう the way English speakers talk about a "side hustle": a bit of extra income from writing, design, teaching, selling things online. But Japanese draws lines that English does not. A student working at a café has a バイト, not a 副業ふくぎょう. A parent working a few hours at a supermarket has a パート. And someone working two part-time jobs at once is 掛かけ持もち. This post sorts out the words and gives you the sentences to talk about your own work.

What does 副業ふくぎょう mean, and how do you use it?

What is 副業ふくぎょう?

副業ふくぎょう (ふくぎょう) is work you do in addition to your main job. 副ふく means "sub" or "secondary", as in 副社長ふくしゃちょう (vice president), and 業ぎょう means "business" or "work". The opposite is 本業ほんぎょう (ほんぎょう), your main job.

本業ほんぎょうは会社員かいしゃいんで、副業ふくぎょうでデザインをしています。 — My main job is office work, and I do design as a side job. (polite, explaining your work) 最近さいきん、副業ふくぎょうを始はじめました。 — I recently started a side job. (polite, news about yourself)

Notice the で in 副業ふくぎょうでデザインをしています. It marks the capacity: "as a side job, I do design". This is the most natural way to say what your side job is. That capacity で is not the で of 会社かいしゃで働はたらいています, and talking about your job shows why the employer takes に with 勤つとめています instead.

How do you ask about someone's side job?

Ask 副業ふくぎょうはしていますか?, "Do you have a side job?", or 副業ふくぎょうは何なにをしていますか?, "What do you do as a side job?"

副業ふくぎょうはしていますか? — Do you do any side work? (polite, casual conversation between coworkers) 週末しゅうまつだけ副業ふくぎょうをしています。 — I do a side job only on weekends. (polite, explaining your schedule)

Because money is involved, some people are shy about this topic. Among friends it is common; with a new boss, maybe less so.

Why does 副業ふくぎょう sometimes sound sensitive at work?

Because many Japanese companies have rules about side jobs, and some do not allow them. These rules are in the company's 就業規則しゅうぎょうきそく (しゅうぎょうきそく), "employment rules". You will hear 副業ふくぎょう禁止きんし (ふくぎょうきんし), "side jobs prohibited", and 副業ふくぎょうOK, "side jobs allowed", in job ads and news.

うちの会社かいしゃは副業ふくぎょう禁止きんしです。 — My company doesn't allow side jobs. (polite, explaining a rule) この会社かいしゃは副業ふくぎょうOKなので、人気にんきがあります。 — This company allows side jobs, so it's popular. (polite, describing a workplace)

What is the difference between 副業ふくぎょう, バイト and パート?

What is バイト?

バイト (short for アルバイト) is a part-time job, typically for students or young people. It is a loanword from Arbeit, "work". It describes the type of job, not whether it is on the side.

コンビニでバイトをしています。 — I work part-time at a convenience store. (polite, a classic student sentence) バイトの時給じきゅうはいくら? — How much is the hourly pay at your part-time job? (casual, friends)

A student with one バイト does not have a 副業ふくぎょう, because there is no main job for it to be "on the side" of. If you work full time and also do shifts at a restaurant on weekends, you can call that バイト or 副業ふくぎょう, depending on whether you are talking about the type of work or its place in your life.

What is パート?

パート (from "part-time") also means part-time work, but usually suggests regular hours for adults, often parents. This is a nuance, not a rule, but it is strong: a university student says バイト, and a parent who works at a supermarket from 10 to 3 usually says パート. Our work vocabulary guide explains how these sit beside 正社員せいしゃいん, a permanent full-time employee.

母はははスーパーでパートをしています。 — My mother works part-time at a supermarket. (polite, describing family)

What does 掛かけ持もち mean?

掛かけ持もち (かけもち) means holding two or more jobs or roles at the same time. It is the word for someone juggling, for example, two バイト.

バイトを二ふたつ掛かけ持もちしています。 — I'm working two part-time jobs at the same time. (polite, explaining a busy life) 部活ぶかつを掛かけ持もちしている。 — I'm in two school clubs at once. (casual, students use it for clubs too)

Word Reading Means Typical person
副業ふくぎょう ふくぎょう side job someone with a main job
本業ほんぎょう ほんぎょう main job the opposite of 副業ふくぎょう
バイト — part-time job students, young people
パート — part-time job adults with regular hours
掛かけ持もち かけもち holding two jobs at once anyone juggling roles
兼業けんぎょう けんぎょう having two occupations formal, written

Beyond the basics

How do you say "earn money"?

The everyday verb is 稼かせぐ (かせぐ), "to earn". A common mistake is to translate "make money" directly as お金かねを作つくる, which does not mean "earn": it sounds like raising funds, or even printing money.

副業ふくぎょうで月つきに少すこし稼かせいでいます。 — I earn a little each month from my side job. (polite, modest) お金かねを稼かせぐのは大変たいへんだ。 — Earning money is hard. (casual, a general truth)

The income itself is 収入しゅうにゅう (しゅうにゅう), and extra income on top of your salary is 副収入ふくしゅうにゅう (ふくしゅうにゅう). If you are earning just a little extra spending money, people say 小遣こづかい稼かせぎ (こづかいかせぎ), "earning pocket money".

これはただの小遣こづかい稼かせぎです。 — This is just for a bit of pocket money. (polite, downplaying it)

For more on money words, see money in Japanese.

What is 兼業けんぎょう?

兼業けんぎょう (けんぎょう) is a formal word for having two occupations at once. You see it in set phrases like 兼業けんぎょう農家のうか (けんぎょうのうか), "a farmer who also has another job", and 兼業主婦けんぎょうしゅふ, a homemaker who also works. In conversation, 副業ふくぎょう is far more common.

What do people say about working from home?

在宅ざいたくワーク (ざいたくわーく), "work from home", is a common phrase for side jobs done at home, like writing or data entry. For full-time remote employees, リモートワーク and テレワーク are more usual.

子供こどもが寝ねてから、在宅ざいたくワークをしています。 — After my kids go to sleep, I do work from home. (polite, explaining a routine)

What about going independent?

独立どくりつする (どくりつする), "to become independent", means leaving your company to work for yourself. Many people talk about a 副業ふくぎょう as a first step toward 独立どくりつ. If you go freelance, the word is フリーランス, and someone self-employed is 個人事業主こじんじぎょうぬし (こじんじぎょうぬし) in tax language.

いつか副業ふくぎょうから独立どくりつしたいです。 — Someday I want to go independent through my side job. (polite, a plan)

Common mistakes

  • Calling a student's part-time job 副業ふくぎょう. Without a main job, it is バイト.
  • Saying お金かねを作つくる for "make money". Use 稼かせぐ: お金かねを稼かせぐ.
  • Assuming every company allows 副業ふくぎょう. Many have rules about it, so ask before you mention it at work.
  • Using パート for every part-time job. Students almost always say バイト.
  • Forgetting で in 副業ふくぎょうで〜をしています. で marks the capacity: "as a side job".

Practice

Try each answer before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair: extra work in both, but only one person has a main job.

1. Say "I have a side job."

Show answer

副業ふくぎょうをしています。 — 副業ふくぎょう is work in addition to your main job, and ている shows it is ongoing.

2. Say "My main job is office work, and I do design as a side job."

Show answer

本業ほんぎょうは会社員かいしゃいんで、副業ふくぎょうでデザインをしています。 — 本業ほんぎょう is the main job, and で marks what you do as a side job.

3. A university student works at a café. What do they call that job?

Show answer

バイト (アルバイト) — there is no main job, so it is not a 副業ふくぎょう.

4. A full-time office worker also writes articles on weekends for extra money. What is that?

Show answer

副業ふくぎょう — it is extra work on top of a main job. This is the pair to question 3.

5. Fix the verb: 副業ふくぎょうでお金かねを作つくっています。

Show answer

副業ふくぎょうでお金かねを稼かせいでいます。 — "make money" is 稼かせぐ. お金かねを作つくる sounds like raising or printing money, not earning it.

6. Say "I'm working two part-time jobs at the same time."

Show answer

バイトを二ふたつ掛かけ持もちしています。 — 掛かけ持もち means holding two roles at once.

7. A job ad says 副業ふくぎょうOK. What does it mean?

Show answer

Side jobs are allowed. — the opposite is 副業ふくぎょう禁止きんし, "side jobs prohibited".

8. What is the word for extra income on top of your salary?

Show answer

副収入ふくしゅうにゅう — 副ふく (secondary) plus 収入しゅうにゅう (income).

9. Downplay your side job: "It's just for a bit of pocket money."

Show answer

ただの小遣こづかい稼かせぎです。 — 小遣こづかい稼かせぎ means earning a little spending money.

10. Say "Someday I want to go independent."

Show answer

いつか独立どくりつしたいです。 — 独立どくりつする means leaving a company to work for yourself.

In a trial lesson, tell me about your 本業ほんぎょう and your 副業ふくぎょう or バイト, and check whether 掛かけ持もち fits.

FAQ

How do you say "side hustle" in Japanese? 副業ふくぎょう (ふくぎょう) is the closest everyday word. For small extra money, 小遣こづかい稼かせぎ also fits.

How do you say "part-time job" in Japanese? アルバイト or バイト for students and young people, パート for adults working regular part-time hours.

Is 副業ふくぎょう allowed in Japanese companies? It depends on the company. Some forbid side jobs in their employment rules, and others openly allow them, so check the rules before taking one.

What is the difference between 副業ふくぎょう and 兼業けんぎょう? Both mean having another job. 副業ふくぎょう is everyday language for a side job, and 兼業けんぎょう is formal and often appears in set phrases like 兼業けんぎょう農家のうか.

How do I say "I'm a freelancer"? フリーランスです, or フリーランスで働はたらいています, "I work as a freelancer".

What does 時給じきゅう mean? Hourly pay. It is the number everyone checks first in a バイト ad.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

副業	ふくぎょう — side job
本業	ほんぎょう — main job
副業禁止	ふくぎょうきんし — side jobs prohibited
就業規則	しゅうぎょうきそく — employment rules
アルバイト	アルバイト — part-time job
バイト	バイト — part-time job (short)
パート	パート — part-time work (adults)
掛け持ち	かけもち — holding two jobs at once
兼業	けんぎょう — having two occupations
時給	じきゅう — hourly pay
稼ぐ	かせぐ — to earn
収入	しゅうにゅう — income
副収入	ふくしゅうにゅう — extra income
小遣い稼ぎ	こづかいかせぎ — earning pocket money
在宅ワーク	ざいたくわーく — work from home
独立	どくりつ — becoming independent
フリーランス	フリーランス — freelance
会社員	かいしゃいん — office worker

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime. When learners talk about their work in lessons, 副業ふくぎょう, 収入しゅうにゅう and 稼かせぐ come up again and again, and お金かねを作つくる for "make money" is a mistake I have corrected more than once. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or try the Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference dictionaries.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N4 · Read something at this level: JLPT N4 stories with audio

More “People, Feelings & Everyday Life in Japanese” articles →

Want to try this in a real conversation?

30-minute trial lesson, $13. Times shown in your own timezone.

Practice it out loud with a Tokyo native. ★5.0 from 358 italki reviews.

See how the lessons work →

Book a trial lesson · $13