Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A Japanese corporate businessman.
Wiktionary
- n. A Japanese white-collar worker, especially one who works long hours and has an insignificant position within the corporate hierarchy.
Etymologies
- Anglicization of Japanese sarariman, salaried man : English salary + English man.
Examples
“The term salaryman refers exclusively to males, and for females the term career woman is used.”
“Astonishingly, Mr. Kikuchi - whose thin and muscular build is at odds with his long career behind a desk as a corporate "salaryman"- held on for 14 hours, from 3 p.m. that day until dawn the morning after.”
“The trademark of the salaryman is his conservative dark suit, called a sebiro in Japanese, which probably came from the English word "civil" since they are civilian clothes, i.e. not a military uniform.”
“They have to be a parody of the kind of salaryman concerns you see in things like Shima Kôsaku.”
“After graduating college, he became a "salaryman" at Maruzen Oil Co., the predecessor to Cosmo Oil Co.”
“Incidentally, I don't see my husband that often because he's always working (he's a "salaryman"), so in my case, marriage is more like chocolate cake every weekend for the rest of my life, which sounds pretty good to me.”
“It's been the sarariman, or "salaryman", for years and years.”
“I lead two separate lives -- during the day, I'm a full-time 'salaryman' in a web design company, but at night I come to '2-chome' to work here as a barman," said Yuu, who declined to give his last name.”
“Tokyo Sonata" - "The master of Japanese chills," Kiyoshi Kurosawa departs from his specialty for this domestic drama about the intricate lies a "salaryman" who loses his job creates to protect his family.”
“The main character is a suit, an office worker, a "salaryman" if you will - and like all characters in the game he has no face and is a 3D polygonal pixellated-looking dude whose movements are based upon motion-capture sessions with a proper human dancer, dig?”
Lists
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jodi Used in the book World War Z sections with "oral history" from Japan. Apr 18, 2011